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2010 Fanfiction Author Interviews

Below are the 2010 fanfiction author interviews:

January 2010 Interview: Booksketeer
February 2010 Interview: biscuits
April 2010 Interview: hagu
May 2010 Interview: sinecure
June 2010 Interview: momdaegmorgan

If there are any authors you would like to see interviewed, or re-interviewed, let us know!

1) If you could visit any place at any time period, where would you go and what would you do?

I studied Latin and Roman history in high school, so I think it would be fascinating to experience the Pax Romana. I also quite like the idea of Regency England. I am built for the ideal of beauty in that time – dresses that showcase pale skin and an ample bosom.

I also like the idea of living in a time when each brief touch between men and women was overwhelming because it was so rare, when each dance together was a revelation in body language and contact. I find the anticipation and weight given to each touch sexy.

2) Have you ever met anyone famous?

Most of the famous people I’ve encountered are on the political/legal end of the spectrum. I’ve met or been within spitting distance of all of the 2008 Democratic candidates for president except Hilary. I’ve met Chief Justice John Roberts and spent some time with former U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno.

In terms of celebrities, I did give Maura Tierney (Abby on ER) directions to get out of a building once. She was very nice, if distracted.

Read the entire interview over at NS Forums!

1) If you could visit any place at any time period, where would you go and what would you do?

The American Revolution. I would love to be a part of that ‘noble experiment’ and see how I could influence the ideas and the course of history. I would love to do it just to meet the Founding Fathers, too.

2) Have you ever met anyone famous?

I used to bartend at a *gasp* strip club so I’ve met quite a few famous people. I kicked Pauly Shore out for not paying his cover charge and also numerous pro football players who thought that being famous entitled them to behave like jerks.

In high school I went to a Cranberries concert with my friends and the next morning we went to Denny’s for breakfast and saw the band a few tables over. My friend noticed them (we weren’t sure if it was them, the lead singer wasn’t present) and she mentioned the show just to make sure.

They seemed really flattered that we noticed them and we didn’t realize why until we got to a music store and looked at a CD jacket realizing that we didn’t meet the Cranberries but their opening band, “Grant Lee Buffalo”.

We had seen classmates on the drive back and bragged, yelling out the car window ‘We met the Cranberries!’ Oops.

3) If you could meet any famous person, alive or dead, who would it be and what would you say/do?

Ayn Rand. I would just want to have a conversation with her and know what it feels like to be in the presence of such a phenomenal mind.

4) If you could switch lives with any person, who would you choose and why? If you want to switch with a person who is dead, we’ll assume that you wanted to live their life while he/she was alive.

I want to be exactly who I am. I’ve made many poor choices in life but I regret nothing. I’ve learned from them all and it’s a part of who I’ve become. I choose to be who I am and I know I have the will to become anything I want. That’s more than enough for me.

5) Who is your favorite author, alive or dead, and why?

Ayn Rand, unequivocally. If you’ve read her, like her or not, you probably know why. She’s a very polarizing author, people either love or hate her.

For those who don’t know, I have yet to meet a person who read her books and were not changed by them in some fundamental way.

I think she’s going to be the philosophic and artistic inspiration for an age ruled by reason and the value of life. I don’t know if I’ll ever see that age, but it will come and it will be because of her.

6) What is your favorite book and why?

Atlas Shrugged (see answer 5). I grew up knowing everything I was against in life. I didn’t know what I was for until I read Atlas Shrugged. It gave voice and meaning to everything I had been trying to achieve within myself and for the first time in my life I felt hope for the world and my future because of that book.

7) Who is your favorite singer, alive or dead, and why?

I’m ashamed to say I don’t have one, really. A friend joked that I don’t listen to music earlier than 200 years old…. There are many modern opera singers I like, but I can’t name a fave.

What is your favorite song and why?

Probably the Ode to Joy, Beethoven’s 9th. I know it’s a rather popularly known song but it’s good in spite of that. After watching ‘Immortal Beloved’ (a movie about Beethoven’s life) I fell in love with his music.

Even just the idea of writing a song as a tribute to happiness is just so… unmatchable.

9) What is your favorite movie and why?

Cyrano de Bergerac. The version directed by Edmond Rostand, starring Jose Ferrer, and ONLY that version. It’s the only one done right.

Most people think of the nose, the poetry, the romance, the hidden wooing of Roxanne when they think of Cyrano. Those things are all present but this director saw it for what it truly was. An artistic tribute to integrity.

It’s the story of a man who lives his life his own way and bows to no one. My favorite kind. Of man and story.

10) What is your favorite television show and why?

I don’t really watch a lot of TV. I don’t have the time and most of it is not worth the trouble. I only started watching Smallville by accident, then got hooked sometime during the seventh season and got caught up on Netflix.

11) Who is your favorite actor/actress, alive or dead, and why?

Greta Garbo, amazing, expressive, powerful. Contemporarily, Cate Blanchett for the same reasons. Peter O’Toole is brilliant I fell for him in Lawrence of Arabia. Gary Oldman is amazing, too. I could go on but let’s say those are my top 4 old and new.

12) What is the one movie/television show that you would never admit to family, friends, co-workers that you watch? Yes, I know asking defeats the point, but spill your guts anyway.

I sometimes watch ‘What Not To Wear’. I’m a total candidate b/c I just don’t give a damn and I’d never want to be a target for the show but I like seeing the transformations. It’s the kind of thing I’ll watch reruns of when I’m finished with finals and need to give my brain a rest.

13) Do people in your Real Life know that you are a member of NS?

Some do, I don’t hide it or advertise it either way.

14) Do people in your Real Life know that you read/write fanfiction?

Again, some. I just started doing it for myself as a catharsis and finally started posting some stuff.

15) When did you first start reading fanfiction?

When I was jonesing for a new SV season. I don’t read any other FF and I don’t really feel the need to.

16) When did you first get started in writing fanfiction?

I had a very heavy semester all science and advanced math and 3 part time jobs. I’ve always loved to write and I literally got to the point where I needed to do it.

I felt as if I didn’t start letting off steam somewhere I’d spontaneously combust.

17) Is fanfic writing just a hobby for you or do you hope to go further with your writing?

Ultimately, I’d like to write fiction on the side after I get my degree but science comes first so that’s a long way off.

18) When you aren’t writing awesome fanfics, what do you do and/or want to be doing?

I’m in class or at work. I’m very fortunate to have a job in the field I want to work in when I graduate (namely biomedical research) so what I want to be doing is more of what I am already doing plus being smarter, hopefully.

19) How and why did you first get interested in Chlex? What do you like most about the characters? What do you hate about them?

I started on a site called ‘Wild Coyote’ I think. I read Chlex by chance and it was the first time I’d though of the pairing but I really liked it and then started to seek it out. Jackpot on NS!

What I like and dislike about the characters is much what I like and dislike about people in general. I like them when they’re good and strong and don’t when they’re weak and petty.

20) How and why did you first get interested in writing Chlex fanfiction?

It’s the only type I have written but I think that reading so much great Chlex here has certainly contributed to the choice.

I think that there is something fundamental that Chloe and Lex have in common and I love to see it played out in all it’s various ways.

21) Is there anything while reading Chlex fanfiction that you really like/hate?

It really bugs me to see a great idea for a story then the plot itself is fuzzed over to get to the Chlex, and that just makes it unbelievable for me.

I love discovering new authors that I like. I feel like a kid in a candy store, I hunt down every one of their stories and revel in them.

22) What (if any) other fandoms do you read/write for and why?

None, NS exclusive.

23) What type of environment do you need to write? For example: extreme quiet, blaring music, subtle background noise, etc.

I used to study for classes while bartending so I have this amazing ability to block out noise and concentrate on what I’m doing so environment doesn’t really matter so much. My mood has to be right for it more than anything.

24) How do your ideas come to you? Do you always write them or do you let them disappear?

I’ve let so many disappear over the years and I’ve finally started writing them down, Chlex has been an indispensable tool for me to regain whatever it is I’ve lost in not writing things down.

I’ve always had a vivid imagination, I’ve just recently decided to do something about it.

25) Do you plan a story from the beginning to end or start with an idea and let the chapters come to you as they do?

I usually envision scenes and try to build a story around them. Once I get more practice I’d like to be more methodical and plan the story out but I’m not that good yet.

26) Do you ever input certain aspects about yourself into the lives of Chloe and Lex? For example: Do you have Chloe listen to your favorite song or have Lex watch your favorite movie?

I did a little and I kinda wish I could retract it. It doesn’t ring true to me. I think authors should come through in their characters in more subtle ways. I think all of us like to project ourselves as Chloe with Lex (at least I know I do!) and it’s tempting to sneak ourselves in the plot along with her but I don’t think that’s being true to the characters.

Honestly though, it’s impossible NOT to put yourself into a story you write though….

27) Do you associate your writing with any songs even if it isn’t a songfic?

Not yet no, though I like the idea of doing so and have liked some fics that have, too.

28) Do you prefer writing easy, quick stories or long, layered stories?

I haven’t done enough to say yet, I think it would all depend on what the needs of the story dictated.

29) Which do you find easier to write: dialogue or description or are the equally hard/easy?

It’s just oranges and apples. My greatest challenge is to reign in my tendency to wax loquacious. (Obviously)

30) Is there anything that you won’t write or feel uncomfortable writing?

Not off the top of my head other than I would never write against my own convictions.

31) What do you do to cure writer’s block? What advice can you give to new writers who might be scared to post their stories?

It’s for yourself, not for anyone else. Do what you need to and if other people like it, great. If they don’t, well you still got what you needed from it and that’s what counts.

32) Have you ever read someone else’s fanfic and wished you thought of the idea first?

Yes many, many, many times. Or just thought, damn I wish I wrote like that!

33) Have you ever wanted someone else to write your story idea?

No, that’s a little to personal for me. Kinda like wearing someone else’s underwear. It would defeat the purpose for me to share or delegate the process because that’s what I’m in it for.

34) Are reviews vital to keep you writing or will you finish a story even if you aren’t certain people are reading?

Reviews, especially thoughtful ones, can certainly act to motivate me but as I said, I write for me. I hope people like it but I don’t need them to.

35) Have you ever had a review that made you think something about your story that you never thought of before? Has a review ever made you want to make a major change to your story?

Not enough of that to say, yet but I hope both will happen one day.

36) How badly do you want to write for Smallville or at least rewrite some of the seasons?

I know this is like blasphemy on NS but I’m pretty happy with the show overall. I’ll never forgive them for not finding a way to break Lex from evil (though I have a way… ) but I think they are doing some interesting things even if it’s not what I would have wanted them to do.

37) Do you see Chloe and Lex or other Smallville characters in different television shows or movies? Meaning, do you watch a movie like Star Wars and start thinking that Lex is just like Han Solo?

In the first couple seasons, I saw some similarities between Lex and some Ayn Rand heroes which is why I fell in love with him and SV.

38) What do you think AM and MR would say about your fics if they read them? How would you feel if someone from the show did read your writings?

Well when I write a story about Lex’s redemption post season 7 and contract with them for the webisodes, I’ll let you know what they say .

39.) If you could have any super power, what would it be and why? Would you use it for good or evil?

I would love to be invulnerable. Any power I’ve ever had so far has been used for good so I’m not too worried on that account.

Interview: santija

1) If you could visit any place at any time period, where would you go and what would you do?

I’m more interested in the future then the past, so probably NY a thousand years from now. I wanna know if cars will fly… haha.

2) Have you ever met anyone famous?

Yeah I’ve met a couple of singers, mostly which are just famous in my country. Oh yeah my boyfriend and I went to see Joshua Radin play and Zach Braff was there, but I didn’t talk to him, I love him in Scrubs so I got shy…

3) If you could meet any famous person, alive or dead, who would it be and what would you say/do?

Probably a writer, Sylvia Plath perhaps, talk about her poems or I would love to hang with Bob Dylan over a beer; that would be awesome!!

4) If you could switch lives with any person, who would you choose and why? If you want to switch with a person who is dead, we’ll assume that you wanted to live their life while he/she was alive.

A gorgeous night club singer in the 20’s because they just seem so confident and sexy.

5) Who is your favorite author, alive or dead, and why?

I love to solve a good crime, Agatha Christie of course!

6) What is your favorite book and why?

A favorite book to me is a book you read and reread until you know every page by heart, so I guess it would be The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath.

7) Who is your favorite singer, alive or dead, and why?

I have too many, it wouldn’t be fare to chose.

8.) What is your favorite song and why?

“Somewhere Over the Rainbow” because it makes me feel like a child, full of hope.

9) What is your favorite movie and why?

Dirty Dancing, why? It’s the best movie ever, that’s why!

10) What is your favorite television show and why?

Again I have so many, but if I really had to choose one, The Big Bang Theory, I laugh so hard every time!

11) Who is your favorite actor/actress, alive or dead, and why?

So hard, I’m bad with names, Anthony Hopkins is a huge favorite though.

12) What is the one movie/television show that you would never admit to family, friends, co-workers that you watch? Yes, I know asking defeats the point, but spill your guts anyway.

All right but don’t tell my boyfriend, I use to watch MacGyver when I was younger, stop looking at me like that *runs away in shame*

13) Do people in your Real Life know that you read/write fanfiction?

One friend knows I write smut, but not that it is smut involving Smallville characters.

14) When did you first start reading fanfiction?

Loooong time ago, read mostly Charmed fanfiction at first, then stumbled on the loveliness that is Chlex.

15) Is fanfic writing just a hobby for you or do you hope to go further with your writing?

I am trying to write a book at the moment, fanfiction was a way to open a door to me; it made me think maybe I can write that book after all, but I keep fanfiction just for fun.

16) When you aren’t writing awesome fanfics, what do you do and/or want to be doing?

I am studying economics, just started, don’t know where that will take me, but time will tell. I’m a firm believer in everything happens for a reason.

17) How and why did you first get interested in Chlex? What do you like most about the characters? What do you hate about them?

Lex is such a complex character, I love that, it makes for an easy but still fun satisfying experience to write him, you don’t really have to explain why he does what he does, he is who he is. Chloe on the other hand, the writers on Smallville always changed her I thought, the only thing they kept stable was her devotion to Clark, so I like to mess with that, because it goes against the character I think Smallville keeps ruining, I like her because she speaks her mind, but she has a hard time sticking up for herself.

18) How and why did you first get interested in writing Chlex fanfiction?

I had a story in my head that I wouldn’t leave me alone. So I wrote it down and thought it would be fun to hear what people thought.

19) Is there anything while reading Chlex fanfiction that you really like/hate?

I like it when Lex falls for Chloe but doesn’t even realize it himself until he’s too far gone and will do anything to have her.

20) What (if any) other fandoms do you read/write for and why?

Only Chlex, my one true love.

21) What type of environment do you need to write? For example: extreme quiet, blaring music, subtle background noise, etc.

I’m a multitasker; I do homework, listen to music, watch TV and write at the same time!

22) How do your ideas come to you? Do you always write them or do you let them disappear?

Music inspires me a lot, and reading others fanfiction.

23) Do you plan a story from the beginning to end or start with an idea and let the chapters come to you as they do?

I play it by heart, I am not very organized, and I’m even amazed I can spell that word, haha!!

24) Do you ever input certain aspects about yourself into the lives of Chloe and Lex? For example: Do you have Chloe listen to your favorite song or have Lex watch your favorite movie?

Yes, all the time!!

25) Do you associate your writing with any songs even if it isn’t a songfic?

Since songs inspire me to write at times, yeah I guess.

26) Do you prefer writing easy, quick stories or long, layered stories?

I don’t think I know how to write an easy quick story, I have a hard time with endings, I don’t like them, at all, so some of my fics are a bit strange and unsatisfying, sadly even to me.

27) Which do you find easier to write: dialogue or description or are the equally hard/easy?

Dialogue is way easier, I usually have the scene in my head and know what they say, but to actually get the right feeling across in that scene is a lot harder sometimes.

28) Is there anything that you won’t write or feel uncomfortable writing?

I don’t know, I’ve written about rape, murder, deaths, suicide attempts, no I don’t think there is a line for me, some things are hard to write, but they need to be written for the story to be full.

29) What do you do to cure writer’s block? What advice can you give to new writers who might be scared to post their stories?

First don’t be scared, this is the most kind and supporting place in the world, and it’s a great way to boost your confident in writing. I get writer’s block all the time, have a drink, take a bath, the words are in there, don’t try to push them out, eventually they will find their way onto the page.

30) Have you ever read someone else’s fanfic and wished you thought of the idea first?

More like I thought ‘hey that’s kinda like that idea I had but didn’t know how to start’

31) Have you ever wanted someone else to write your story idea?

No, it would be too hard. I like to write deep, dark, heavy things. To explain to one person who then later would write it down, something would probably just get lost along the way, so no I prefer to write my own ideas.

32) Are reviews vital to keep you writing or will you finish a story even if you aren’t certain people are reading?

Oh I’m a commentslut, I feed off of it, ha ha, if the story is important to me I will finish it, but like I said I have a problem with endings, so I almost always never really finish a story.

33) How badly do you want to write for Smallville or at least rewrite some of the seasons?

Oh I would rewrite so much, of course make Lex and Chloe the main couple.

34) What do you think AM and MR would say about your fics if they read them? How would you feel if someone from the show did read your writings?

Haha, if they would read it, wow, that’s a scary thought, hopefully they would like it, and perhaps leave a comment saying that they do, that would make me really happy.

35) If you could have any super power, what would it be and why? Would you use it for good or evil?

Oh evil of course, haha, I would so control the weather, kinda like Storm from X-men, yeah I’d like that, haha.

1) If you could visit any place at any time period, where would you go and what would you do?

I would go to the future and live on Mars. I’d be some crazy frontier scientist. Studying whatever I can on Mars and being as close to the Wild West as I can without the horrible, horrible slavery. Also, I like to think that in the far future, they’d let me genetically engineer the hell outta stuff.

2) Have you ever met anyone famous?

Yeah, I’ve met some authors, voice actors, and actors. But my favorite? Johnny Yong Bosch. He played the second black Power Ranger and he does a lot of voice acting for anime, my favorite being Vash from Trigun. He tells these hilarious stories. One of them involved some random dude, who was a fan, asking him to give him a ride from an airport. The guy just has this deadpan sense of humor. Also, he likes playing hangman and was delightfully sarcastic when the 15 people around yelled out some pretty random letters. He turned around, incredulous and said “This is hangman! You’ve all played before, right?”

Cracked me right the hell up.

3) If you could meet any famous person, alive or dead, who would it be and what would you say/do?

There are so many, but if I absolutely had to choose? I’d go with Jules Verne. He is considered one of the fathers of science fiction. That man had the privilege of helping to mold the nascent genre and it’s amazing. Journey to the Center of the Earth? From the Earth to the Moon? Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea? Classics all and every author in science fiction, whether they write hard or soft, looks to that guy. And even if you don’t like the genre, you know these works.

What would I do? I’d pretty much just talk to him. To live in the time he did and to imagine the things he did…it’s magic. And maybe he’d give me the privilege of showing him the current times and maybe I’d be able to teach him something, which would be beyond awesome.

4) If you could switch lives with any person, who would you choose and why? If you want to switch with a person who is dead, we’ll assume that you wanted to live their life while he/she was alive.

I honestly don’t want to switch with anyone. My life is pretty awesome and I’m doing exactly what I want to do and switching won’t make me any happier than I am right now.

5) Who is your favorite author, alive or dead, and why?

This is difficult because I’m very eclectic in my reading; but since I have to choose, it would be Frank Herbert. The guy wrote Dune, which is hands down my favorite book series. The biggest reason is because of one sentence he wrote: Arrakis teaches the attitude of the knife — chopping off what’s incomplete and saying: “Now, it’s complete because it’s ended here.”

And that line is significant to me because of the philosophy. When something is over, ya move on. It’s done and you deal with it.

6) What is your favorite book and why?

Watchmen. It’s a graphic novel, but whatever because it’s genius. To me, this work was important because it said that our heroes could be flawed people and by extension it gave us permission to be flawed people. Our heroes could be incomprehensible, profoundly weird, cowardly about some things and brave about others, violent, emotional…in short, they could be human and if your hero doesn’t tell you something about being human, then you’re hero is worthless.

There is so many ways to read that book and you always come away with something different…the way you thought about something, your notion of good and evil, right and wrong. Morality is a theme that is woven throughout. It’s just a fantastic character study and your interpretations truly reflect who you are.

7) Who is your favorite singer, alive or dead, and why?

Ella Fitzgerald, the Queen of Scat (nothing dirty, you pervs), First Lady of Song. Her voice is amazing. Her phrasing, her tone, how she used music and improv to make the listening experience something wonderful was amazing.

8.) What is your favorite song and why?

You people are gonna read this and laugh at me, but in all seriousness, the “Happy Birthday” song. I have very good and thoughtful reasons. Let’s start with the fun reasons: you can sing it however the hell you want and no one cares. You can hum it, yell it, sing off key, randomly start a round, make up stuff and no one cares because there’s cake, presents, and it’s, presumably, being sung by your buddies.

As for the serious reason: it’s the fact that, in most cases, the people who love you the most and who you love the most is taking the time to say “Dude, it is so freaking awesome that you were born and I get to know you so here’s a minute of me singing a ridiculous song to celebrate this.” And even if you aren’t with the people you love the most, you’ll eventually find them and it makes the song much more meaningful. And beyond that, it’s even an ode to your parents, like “We have the opportunity to say Happy Birthday, thanks for not choosing abortion”.

9) What is your favorite movie and why?

Pan’s Labyrinth. I am a sucker for fairytales and violence and cinematography and that movie combines all three. The story is amazing and the visuals serve as a vehicle to elevate the story, not consume it. The actors are simply fantastic and there were parts that genuinely creeped me out, made me happy, and/or made me sad. There is nothing about this movie that I did not like. It was just beautiful.

10) What is your favorite television show and why?

Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Because when it was about the characters, it was the best thing on television. It had allegory out the wazoo and that’s the special thing about it. They were flawed, they were teens, they did good things that were acknowledged and sometimes not and they made horrible mistakes and paid the price. It was good story-telling because I could see the people they were in the people they became and that is magic.

11) Who is your favorite actor/actress, alive or dead, and why?

I’m about to be infuriatingly wishy-washy. I can’t answer this. It’s too hard. There are so many that I absolutely adore and to me it’s like trying to decide which is your favorite apple from a bushel of perfect apples. How do I choose between Bogie, William Holden, Robert Mitchum, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Hillary Swank, Harrison Ford, Raymond Burr, Ed Norton, Michael Keaton, Chow Yun Fat, Sigourney Weaver, Denzel Washington, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Alec Baldwin or anyone else?

Should it be based on the fact that the classics are apparently better? Arnold was in Terminator, which informs so many modern movies. Sigourney Weaver was in the creepiest space thriller imaginable and William Holden is generally awesome. So I can’t choose.

12) What is the one movie/television show that you would never admit to family, friends, co-workers that you watch? Yes, I know asking defeats the point, but spill your guts anyway.

Pishaw! I tell everyone what I watch and no one is ever surprised. I have no viewing secrets because I like what I like and I don’t care how anyone feels about it. But here’s something for you people: Dora the Explorer.

13) Do people in your Real Life know that you are a member of NS?

I think so. I don’t hide it, but I don’t really talk about it. I have some friends that like peeking over my shoulder.

14) Do people in your Real Life know that you read/write fanfiction?

Yep.

15) When did you first start reading fanfiction?

Man, it was a lifetime ago. I actually don’t know when I started reading fic online, but I joined FF.Net in 2001. My first fandom was Forever Knight. And it blows my mind to see the changes in fanfiction. I remember when Fanfiction.Net wasn’t a seething cesspool where X-Men grammar goes to die and souls are crushed with terrible prose. I don’t think I was in on the ff.net ground breaking, but when I joined it wasn’t this huge beast and there were lots of quality writers.

There were two major evens (in my mind) that heralded the ending of something magical: no more NC17 fics, and the movie. The no NC17 thing wasn’t just about the lack of sex, it was the fact that it all of a sudden got harder to tell mature stories, whether violent or sexual in nature. Because of that you had writers, who had never and were probably never gonna write NC17, leave because of the censorship and the lack of personal responsibility. It was a mass exodus of them and NC17 writers. And also, you had this paranoia about a fic just being take down because all of a sudden you had people reporting *everything*. And then of course the X-Men movie and the Rogue/Wolverine shippers. It was like everything about tweeners, self inserts, and terrible writing was first embodied in that ship.

Wow, that was a rant…memories.

16) When did you first get started in writing fanfiction?

My first fic was a FK shortie in 2003.

17) Is fanfic writing just a hobby for you or do you hope to go further with your writing?

Just a hobby. At one time, I thought it would be interesting to be a writer. I could combine two great loves: science and writing. But then I realized that I didn’t have the drive necessary for that field.

18) When you aren’t writing awesome fanfics, what do you do and/or want to be doing?

I play with animals (cats, dogs, cows, goats etc), collect bugs and release them, read, or just do whatever. I’m a random person and on any given day, I’m doing any number of things because it’s fun. Some of the studies I’ve done is in linguistics, randomly learning how to play the recorder and getting really good at it (which is kinda sad, but the thing was lying around and I had fond memories of 3rd grade music class), rock collecting…I just do whatever.

19) How and why did you first get interested in Chlex? What do you like most about the characters? What do you hate about them?

I think regular shouters know, but I’ll tell y’all. I am not a Superman fan. I honestly do not like him as a superhero and it took me a long time to even admit that he might almost be considered worthwhile, and this was *before* Smallville made Clark Kent a raging douchwaggle. At any rate, I saw the promos for the show and was excited because I was like “This show is gonna be about Clark Kent before he’s Superman! It has got to be interesting! He’s gonna have a journey and everything and the insufferable douchewaggle in the comics will be real to me!”

So then the reality of the show hit me and it was bitter. I was bitter and still am. But I’ve always liked Lex Luthor as a villain because he was such a smart and awesome character. He’s number three in the DC universe in terms of intelligence I believe. And Chloe was everything I could ever want in a Lois Lane-type and in a female character period. She was a kid dealing with high school and still being strong and knowing what it is that she wanted out of life and the cool thing was to discover, with her, how she was gonna get her McGuffin. So it was just me putting the two coolest characters together, friendship or otherwise, in Google and hitting “enter”.

I like that they’re smart. They’re focused and if something goes wrong, they adapt as best they can. There’s nothing really I don’t like about the two characters, plenty of things I hate about how they were written, but the characters presented have flaws and virtues. They can be jerks like anyone else and that isn’t a reason to dislike the character. It’s a reason to celebrate them so there isn’t anything I hate about them.

20) How and why did you first get interested in writing Chlex fanfiction?

Ha! I really had no interest in writing for this fandom, but then the shoutbox came along. Then it was “Hey, Ava, when are you gonna write a fic?” and “Hey, Ava, stop being such an asswipe and write a damned fic already!” And then one day, skauble literally called me on my shit because I was hemmin’ and hawin’ and she was like “Oh yeah? You got an outline that you don’t want to write and are generally uncomfortable writing because you only wrote shorties? Hand it over.” And since I didn’t have an outline and they knew that I was a cocky bitch and wasn’t really worried about putting fiction out there, I was cornered. So of *course* I had to write a fic.

21) Is there anything while reading Chlex fanfiction that you really like/hate?

I’m gonna get booed here, but I cannot stand songfics. I understand the convention, but for me, it always breaks the mood. No one is gonna hear a song and feel what you felt or see a lyric and interpret it as the emotions felt by the characters. I’ve honestly tried. But if you have this awesome slow dance goin’ and *insert characters being all heartfelt/lusty/angry/whatever* and in comes a lyrics, you have broken the tension for me. And it doesn’t necessarily mean that the fic sucks. I just can’t get into ‘em. Sorry to songfic lovers and writers.

And I’ll pretty much read anything as long as it’s written well and you have established consistency. There are degrees to my liking, but by and large as long as your fic doesn’t make me feel like a tool as I’m reading it, then it’ll go in that “like” pile.

22) What (if any) other fandoms do you read/write for and why?

Well, Forever Knight because it had a macho/often emo lead vampire, who was a detective (Nick Knight did the whole “detective who is centuries old and is trying to atone for past evils first!). It had an amazing villain/teacher/father-figure in Lacroix. That guy is the very definition of “wow he’s a manipulative bastard and he made the good guy”. And you had the supernatural and then later, girl power in the character of Tracy Vetter.

I didn’t really write for any other fandom, but I have a bazillion that I read for in all genres and I do it because I like variety. So yeah, I’ll pop over to an X-Men site, then maybe Trigun, and then Buffy, and then and then and then…it’s whatever catches my fancy.

23) What type of environment do you need to write? For example: extreme quiet, blaring music, subtle background noise, etc.

I don’t really need any particular environment. I’ve written with loud music, while reading The Washington Post and a genetics text and watching tv. And I’ve written in a study room in the library. When I’m ready to write, I just do it.

24) How do your ideas come to you? Do you always write them or do you let them disappear?

“Dreaming the Wolf” came in the shoutbox because the incomparable westwingwolf was all “I want a werewolf fic!” I don’t think I came close to giving her what she wanted.

In general though, I write them as they come.

25) Do you plan a story from the beginning to end or start with an idea and let the chapters come to you as they do?

I know how it begins and how it ends and then I write and see what happens. Funny story: So I write bits and pieces and then hand them off to skauble and then if it passes the sniff test, I’ll link them together in a meaningful way. Early in our relationship, I kept doing that to her, randomly sending her stuff and generally being non-linear, and she just kinda goes “How are you a scientist and this disorganized?!” Her question was met with a resounding “Eh, it’s how I roll.”

26) Do you ever input certain aspects about yourself into the lives of Chloe and Lex? For example: Do you have Chloe listen to your favorite song or have Lex watch your favorite movie?

I haven’t seen any evidence of it, but I think I have phrased things in a way the character of Lex and Chloe probably wouldn’t.

27) Do you associate your writing with any songs even if it isn’t a songfic?

Nope.

28) Do you prefer writing easy, quick stories or long, layered stories?

I go where the story takes me, so I don’t really have a preference.

29) Which do you find easier to write: dialogue or description or are the equally hard/easy?

They’re equally hard and easy. If it’s flowing, it’s all flowing and it comes as if by magic and bunnies. If it isn’t, then it isn’t.

30) Is there anything that you won’t write or feel uncomfortable writing?

Sex. Not that it’s squicky or anything. I just don’t think I’ve written it well; and I know SE! I haven’t submitted anything for critique, but whatever! I’ll cross that bridge, burn it down and mock the heroes stranded on the other side when I get to it; but in plain English, when a fic would be well-served by including it, I’ll see about writing it.

31) What do you do to cure writer’s block? What advice can you give to new writers who might be scared to post their stories?

To cure writer’s block I just go do something else. Anything else to take my mind off it. For me, I can be so focused on one thing and if it isn’t flowing for some reason, it frustrates me the more I think about it. Sorta like how you have this name or answer on the tip of your tongue and the more you try to remember it, the harder it is to actually remember. When that happens I forget about it and generally remember hours, maybe days later. So that’s what I do when I find myself stuck.

For a new writer? My wisdom comes aplenty. Listen to Nike and just do it. It helps to have a beta to give you a kick in the ass or a pat on the back or to be a vehicle to peruse your work and iron out possible kinks that way you aren’t putting crap out there for some jerkface to eviscerate. Lots of people take pleasure in that kind of thing so ya gotta remember that the interweb is a cesspool. Yeah, you’ll do battle with a thousand assholes before you find that one generally good person, but believe me it is more definitely worth it. And the last, no one knows who you are so take an asshole with a grain of joke and move on. They’ll always exist and the internet makes it so that you don’t have to give them more of yourself than you have too.

32) Have you ever read someone else’s fanfic and wished you thought of the idea first?

Nope.

33) Have you ever wanted someone else to write your story idea?

Yes.

34) Are reviews vital to keep you writing or will you finish a story even if you aren’t certain people are reading?

I’m one of those focused people (re: obsessive) so I’ll finish it. I may find it hard to post in a place where I can’t tell if someone is reading it, but it will be finished. Reviews are not vital, but they are motivating. Who the hell doesn’t like it when someone is patting you on the back saying “Go! Go! GO!”? We all learn that when we’re first learning how to ride a bike. Of course, critiques are good too. You know how I knew that I wasn’t riding my bike properly? Well, first when I crashed, and second when my mom said “Yeah steer away from trees, baby.” It’s important for growth.

35) Have you ever had a review that made you think something about your story that you never thought of before? Has a review ever made you want to make a major change to your story?

A thousand times, yes! somethingeasy makes me do this all the damned time. There has never been a time when an SE analysis hasn’t made me go “Whah? Damn! Missed opportunity!” However, I have never changed something major to DtW. I’ve clarified certain things and obfuscated more depending on the reviews, but never changed a major element. But yes, between somethingeasy and skauble and reviews in general, I’ve done tinkering. Fleshed out a concept here, took away some chaff there, confused in certain ways all over the place.

36) How badly do you want to write for Smallville or at least rewrite some of the seasons?

Not very. It’s a crap show and it could’ve been better, but I would be wasting my time on a hero that I don’t really have an affinity for.

37) Do you see Chloe and Lex or other Smallville characters in different television shows or movies? Meaning, do you watch a movie like Star Wars and start thinking that Lex is just like Han Solo?

Nope. If I can’t see a distinct character in the shows I’m watching, then something is off with me, the show or the universe.

38) What do you think AM and MR would say about your fics if they read them? How would you feel if someone from the show did read your writings?

I actually don’t know. I like to think they’d get a kick out of it. At the very least, it won’t be like Jared Padalecki being visibly squicked out when asked a question about Wincest. That was a hilarious response at a con when someone asked him.

I think I’d feel flattered if someone from the show read what I wrote. I’ve tried to be fair with all the characters. Of course, if it’s AlMiles, then I hope that they feel shame and dirty because they suck giant ogre…ahem…yeah.

39) If you could have any super power, what would it be and why? Would you use it for good or evil?

I’d like to be able to read, speak, and write any language. I like talking, I like reading, and I like observing so that power would let me read from any culture, talk to anyone; and most important, when I’m on the bus and some random language pops up, I’ll totally know the score. Never know when a dude will try to fly a plane into a building…uh…too insensitive? Eh.

It’ll also come in handy in the future when I’m on Mars.

Interview: JennyD13

1) If you could visit any place at any time period, where would you go and what would you do?

At the moment I’m reading the novel Antony and Cleopatra by Colleen McCullough so, I’d have to say I would like to visit ancient Egypt, Rome, and Greece. I’d like to be one of Cleo’s ladies in waiting; just to be a fly on the wall! I would actually like to figure out how those damn pyramids were built (and if there were aliens involved).

2) Have you ever met anyone famous?

Unfortunately, I have never had the honor.

3) If you could meet any famous person, alive or dead, who would it be and what would you say/do?

I would love to meet Edgar Allan Poe, but I think the poor fella would be a little depressing to chat to. I would like to go and have a coffee with Allison Mack because she seems like a really nice and interesting person to know. Of course, I’d love to meet Michael Rosenbaum, but I have the feeling that at one point during the night, I would be charged with sexual harassment.

4) If you could switch lives with any person, who would you choose and why? If you want to switch with a person who is dead, we’ll assume that you wanted to live their life while he/she was alive.

Jeez, that’s a hard question. Although my life hasn’t been all peaches and cream, it’s pretty good, if I do say so myself. And if I did want to switch lives with someone, what if that someone had a seemingly great life on the surface but ended up being like Jack the Ripper or something. That would suck. Can it be a fictional person? I wouldn’t mind being in Bella Swan’s shoes from Twilight. Granted, I’d probably choose Jacob instead of Edward. Or both. I could TOTALLY handle them both!

5) Who is your favorite author, alive or dead, and why?

Emily Brontë is my favorite author because she gave us the fabulousness that is Wuthering Heights.

6) What is your favorite book and why?

Wuthering Heights. If you are reading this and you have not read it DO SO NOW! It’s awesome. It has everything. Passion. Love. Betrayal. Ghosts. I love it so much, I think, because the main characters you both love and hate because they are not nice people, but you feel for them because it wasn’t really their fault they grew up that way.

7) Who is your favorite singer, alive or dead, and why?

Etta James is my favorite singer. She was a blues and jazz artist from the 50’s and 60’s and she was just awesome.

8.) What is your favorite song and why?

“Long Long Way To Go” by Lionel Ritchie. It reminds me of my uncle who passed away.

9) What is your favorite movie and why?

The Exorcist/Night of the Living Dead. Because it scared the poop out of me.

10) What is your favorite television show and why?

If Chloe and Lex had been put together, I would say Smallville. I have to say Star Trek.

11) Who is your favorite actor/actress, alive or dead, and why?

I love Kate Winslet. She is gorgeous and is brilliant. (Everybody watch Quills!)

12) What is the one movie/television show that you would never admit to family, friends, co-workers that you watch? Yes, I know asking defeats the point, but spill your guts anyway.

The Berenstain Bears. I know. It’s sick and I need help!

13) Do people in your Real Life know that you are a member of NS?

Yes; my friends.

14) Do people in your Real Life know that you read/write fan fiction?

Yes; said friends also read my fan fiction.

15) When did you first start reading fanfiction?

Holy cow, I don’t know. I remember the first one I read I was told to read by a friend. It was a threesome between Joey, Pacey, and Dawson from Dawson’s Creek. I was both intrigued and disturbed.

16) When did you first get started in writing fanfiction?

The first Fan Fic I wrote was an Alias one between Sydney and Vaughn. I used to be obsessed with reading those fan made stories and I thought, ‘Hey. I’d like to try that.’ So I did. It wasn’t my best work, but we all have to start somewhere! I gave it to my friend to read, and because we are both dirty minded individuals, we kept ourselves occupied both reading and writing our own fan fics.

17) Is fanfic writing just a hobby for you or do you hope to go further with your writing?

Writing is my passion and I do hope to pursue it further. I’m presently working on my first novel. Fan fictions are not only fun to write, but they are also great practice. Dabbling with characters that are already defined (and that I love) helps me find my own style. So I hope I’m doing it well!

18) When you aren’t writing awesome fanfics, what do you do and/or want to be doing?

I read and write, mostly. I’m quite a homebody.

19) How and why did you first get interested in Chlex? What do you like most about the characters? What do you hate about them?

I fell in love with both the characters as soon as I started watching Smallville. They are the characters with the most depth to them in the show. I love Chloe, not only because she’s smart and funny and vulnerable, but because of Allison Mack. She is an amazing actress and she really makes the character for me. I LOVE Lex. We get to see that he wasn’t always a villain. We get to see how all these external things made him twisted inside. I spend much of the series feeling so sad for him. The poor bugger couldn’t catch a break. His father was a horrible man that hated him and everybody else judged him and hated him because of his father. Michael Rosenbaum plays him very well.

20) How and why did you first get interested in writing Chlex fanfiction?

I decided that I didn’t like the way the series had taken and that I would have some fun with the characters myself.

21) Is there anything while reading Chlex fanfiction that you really like/hate?

My pet peeve is not getting the characters right. You can put them in any situation, but when I read fan fic, I love when the author really nails the characters. That’s what I really try to do when I’m writing. I want to do the characters justice. Hopefully I do!

22) What (if any) other fandoms do you read/write for and why?

As I mentioned before, Alias. I think that’s the only one I’ve written for besides Chlex. I read tons and tons of Buffy/Spike fan fiction though.

23) What type of environment do you need to write? For example: extreme quiet, blaring music, subtle background noise, etc.

When I need to write, it doesn’t really matter where I am because I block everything out anyway. I usually try and find a song to play that matches the mood of the part I’m writing. Hence, I usually have soundtracks to all of my fan fics!

24) How do your ideas come to you? Do you always write them or do you let them disappear?

Idea’s usually just strike me at weird times. I could be out to dinner with my friends and talking about something and I’ll have to stop and write down my idea. I have the brain of a 90 yr old, so if I don’t write them down while I have them, they are completely gone in the next couple of minutes. I have a number of outlines for novels that I would like to someday write that came from nightmares that I’ve had.

25) Do you plan a story from the beginning to end or start with an idea and let the chapters come to you as they do?

When I come up with an idea for a story, I usually have to mull it over and create a rough outline of what I want to see happen. Then when I write I add or scrap things depending on if my writing does it justice of if it doesn’t belong in the story. For example, In ‘Bite Me’ I had planned an extra scene with Chloe, Lex and Clark that I scrapped because it just didn’t fit in.

26) Do you ever input certain aspects about yourself into the lives of Chloe and Lex? For example: Do you have Chloe listen to your favorite song or have Lex watch your favorite movie?

Yes, sometimes I do. I had Chloe listening to John Mayer in one of my fan fictions. I think I also had her drinking a peppermint mocha in one, too. Sigh. John Mayer and a Peppermint Mocha. Heaven.

27) Do you associate your writing with any songs even if it isn’t a songfic?

Oh hell yes. Again, soundtracks. I seem to have a lot of time on my hands.

28) Do you prefer writing easy, quick stories or long, layered stories?

I like the quickness of writing a short story, but longer, more complex stories are much more satisfying in the end.

29) Which do you find easier to write: dialogue or description or are they equally hard/easy?

I think dialogue comes pretty quick to me. Description is what I usually mull over.

30) Is there anything that you won’t write or feel uncomfortable writing?

If I think it fits in the story and if it’s tastefully done, no.

31) What do you do to cure writer’s block? What advice can you give to new writers who might be scared to post their stories?

It may sound weird, but to cure writer’s block, I usually lie in a dark room and let my imagination go nuts. Sometimes I listen to music, sometimes I just stare at the ceiling.

To all new writers: Post your stories! If you have written them and like them, you won’t be the only one! It’s really hard at first to put yourself out there, I know! I was practically forced by one of my friends to post my first fan fiction. I found it nerve-wracking, and truthfully, I still do. I want to write a story that people will enjoy! Everybody at NS is so awesome with their comments and suggestions, that they make you feel welcome and very comfortable. The only people on this site are those who truly love the content and we LOVE new stories!

32) Have you ever read someone else’s fanfic and wished you thought of the idea first?

Oh yes. For example, “Accidents Happen’ by scifichick774 GOLDEN! I enjoyed that story so much, I still go back and read it when I have nothing to do. It’s funny and sexy and just great! Everybody go read it!

33) Have you ever wanted someone else to write your story idea?

Yes. The writers on Smallville who should have gotten Chloe and Lex together, damn it!

34) Are reviews vital to keep you writing or will you finish a story even if you aren’t certain people are reading?

I usually finish a story before I post. But, I do not have a lot of confidence in my writing ability, so the reviews are very important to me. It makes me happy that people are enjoying something I’ve written and peeps here at NS are just so nice and supportive; it helps me a great deal. It makes me WANT to keep writing!

35) Have you ever had a review that made you think something about your story that you never thought of before? Has a review ever made you want to make a major change to your story?

As I said before, I do like to finish a story before I post because I don’t write in a consistent way. I have gone to change later chapters when I’ve read reviews, though. Suggestions are always awesome and appreciated.

36) How badly do you want to write for Smallville or at least rewrite some of the seasons?

I would rewrite some seasons for free and kill of Lana in the first couple of episodes. Darn it!

37) Do you see Chloe and Lex or other Smallville characters in different television shows or movies? Meaning, do you watch a movie like Star Wars and start thinking that Lex is just like Han Solo?

No, I haven’t. But now I want to watch Star Wars and examine Han Solo.

38) What do you think AM and MR would say about your fics if they read them? How would you feel if someone from the show did read your writings?

Ummm, I think I would feel awkward. Just because, I’d be afraid that they would think I’m writing with them in mind when it is in fact the character that they play. I’m not saying that they don’t contribute some of themselves into their character, but the character and the actor are two separate entities to me. Does that make any sense at all?

39) If you could have any super power, what would it be and why? Would you use it for good or evil?

I would like to have telekinesis. I would use it to annoy everybody. I am a shit-disturber.

Interview: cypanache

1) If you could visit any place at any time period, where would you go and what would you do?

We’re just visiting right? I mean I don’t have to stay there? Okay with the caveat of I can get back to beautiful, important things like electricity and tv and the internet and Starbucks (oh and my husband), then I would really like to go to Philadelphia during the Revolutionary War. I’d just like the chance to sit in on the Continental Congress and see what these ‘giants’ of history were really like and whether we’re anywhere close to what they thought when they were trying to create their democracy.

2) Have you ever met anyone famous?

I met Mikhail Gorbachev once. A college lecture group I worked with brought him in to speak. It wasn’t nearly as so exciting as it sounds because he speaks no English in public.

3) If you could meet any famous person, alive or dead, who would it be and what would you say/do?

Stephen Sondheim hands down. Once I regained the capacity to speak, I’d ask him about everything from what it was like to be mentored by Richard Rodgers to whether he thinks it’s possible there’s another show in him. And then if he says no, I’d probably resort to holding him hostage.

4) If you could switch lives with any person, who would you choose and why? If you want to switch with a person who is dead, we’ll assume that you wanted to live their life while he/she was alive.

Hmmm. Continuing my Broadway theme, I think I’m gonna go with Patti LuPone. She’s had an amazing career and recently has had the opportunity to blow people out of the water with roles I’d die to play. Add to that, that as a live theatre mainstay she gets to make a good living, doing awesome work in challenging pieces, without the whole paparazzi crush that can come with movie stardom.

5) Who is your favorite author, alive or dead, and why?

This ones actually easy: Nevada Barr. She’s a park ranger who writes the Anna Pigeon mystery series, which are well worth the read. I have never read books which manage to combine everything from twisted, surprising murder mysteries, breathtaking descriptions of natural landscapes that make you feel like you’re there, sharp unapologetic dialogue, and a lead female character that is both tough and feminine and utterly real in a way that avoids all the typical clichés. If you’re ever looking for a good read, her mysteries are my go to recommendations.

6) What is your favorite book and why?

This is so much harder because I don’t have a tendency to reread books. As arrogant as this may sound, I have a freakish memory for plots, so I rarely find joy in rereading a novel. Meaning I can’t go just with a book I pick up again and again.

Okay so back to the question. I’d love to say its some deep and complex piece of literature like Grendel (which I do actually enjoy) or Heart of Darkness (which I hated), but truthfully . . . I’m gonna have to go with Little Women one of the few books I have read at least sections of more than once. I think there’s a nostalgia factor there. Add to that, it kind of introduced me to my preference for the unconventional love story, because I may be one of the few girls who at the age of seven squealed in delight when Jo married the Professor rather than Laurie.

On the modern, less nostalgic front, I’m going to also say Joe Abercrombie’s First Law Trilogy. It’s viciously funny, takes most epic fantasy archetypes and turns them neatly on their head, plus it has one of the most sympathetic yet disturbing antiheroes I’ve ever read about.

So that was one book and a trilogy, was that sufficient or did I cheat?

7) Who is your favorite singer, alive or dead, and why?

Mandy Patinkin (yes I have a Broadway fetish). Sometimes he uses way too many vocal histrionics, but when he nails a song, he just does something with it that makes you feel like you’re hearing it for the first time.

8.) What is your favorite song and why?

Man, I’d have to break this down by categories and then possibly composers/singers to even really get started. I love music. I mean really love it. I have over 300 Broadway cast albums in my collection alone. And my non-Broadway taste pretty much covers the spectrum from Rap to Country to Pop to Old standards. So I’m gonna cheat (again):

Favorite Sondheim (he gets his own category): “Franklin Shepard, Inc.” from Merrily We Roll Along (Raul Esparza’s version; there’s a great clip of him doing this at the Kennedy Center on Youtube) – While it comes from one of my least favorite Sondheim musicals, this song just embodies everything that’s great about Sondheim to me. It’s funny and frantic and really more a sung monologue than anything else and when it’s done right the audience finds itself laughing even as its getting the emotional punch in the gut of essentially watching a friendship draw its last breath on stage.

Favorite Non-Sondheim Broadway: “Nobody Needs to Know” from Last Five Years (though that never actually made it to Broadway, so off-Broadway). –I truly believe Jason Robert Brown (the composer) is Sondheim’s successor in American musicals and the whole show Last Five Years says why, but “Nobody Needs to Know” is just… heart wrenching. It’s a beautiful song that’s about a man waking up in the bed of his mistress and reflecting on the disintegration of his marriage, which makes it my go to song for angst.

Favorite Modern: “Love Song” by Sara Bareilles – This song just makes me smile. Makes me want to dance and sing at the top of my lungs and yet when you listen to the lyrics it’s really more about a woman’s empowerment than most traditional pop love songs.

Favorite Old Standard: “One for My Baby” by Billie Holiday (though I also really like Dianne Reeves version off the Good Night and Good Luck soundtrack) – I love everything about this song, from the sad quiet baseline to the lyrics, to Billie’s voice. There’s so much atmosphere to it you almost feel like you’re sitting in some smoky bar with a glass of scotch circled in cigarette smoke.

And if you asked me this question tomorrow I might give you different answers.

9) What is your favorite movie and why?

I can actually give you a single answer to this: The Great Escape. Best ensemble caper flick ever! It’s just a movie I can watch again and again and never get tired of.

P.S. Favorite Romance – The Painted Veil with Naomi Watts and Edward Norton

10) What is your favorite television show and why?

Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel. I’m grouping them together because as far as I’m concerned they’re just two halves of the same whole. BtVS/Angel is really my first true cult/fandom love, and I have yet to see anybody write an ensemble show in the uncompromising way that Joss did. Every character got real satisfying arcs (even if you didn’t necessarily like where they wound up, you couldn’t fault the journey that took them there), and Joss understood that in a show like BtVS/Angel there needed to be an emotional price. Beloved characters had to die, to grow, to leave, to face consequences for their actions that sometimes changed them irreparably. To me all of Joss’s shows (and I’m including Firefly in this) are the gold standard by which other ensemble shows should be measured.

11) Who is your favorite actor/actress, alive or dead, and why?

Jimmy Stewart. He is the ultimate sexy everyman. Everything he does on film just seems so natural and genuine.

12) What is the one movie/television show that you would never admit to family, friends, co-workers that you watch? Yes, I know asking defeats the point, but spill your guts anyway.

JAG. There’s a story behind this, beyond the fact that I have a real love/hate relationship with the show. When I was in high-school JAG came on at the same time as Buffy, which meant I always relegated my father (who loved JAG) to the kitchen to watch his show while I watched Buffy on the big screen in the den. Dad teased me about Buffy so I was pretty derisive about JAG in return pointing out how incredibly one note the hero is (which he is, and to this day I have problems with him), etc. etc. Anyway while I was studying for the bar I happened to catch JAG reruns on USA, specifically those with the kind of anti-hero character of Webb. I fell in love with that character. So I watch and I fic. But I’m kind of ashamed of it and God knows, I’d never admit it to my father.

13) Do people in your Real Life know that you are a member of NS?

No. Generally I try to keep people from knowing where I post.

14) Do people in your Real Life know that you read/write fanfiction?

Yes. Both my husband and my parents know. Its such a big part of my life (my main hobby) that I kind of took the approach with my husband of if you’re gonna love me, you have to love all of me, including this really insane part. He doesn’t read any of it and he knows better than to stand over my shoulder while I’m writing (he got an elbow in the gut that way once), but he knows I write and the fandoms I write in.

My dad actually has read some of my work. I was in the BtVS fandom for a really long time from middle of high-school through most of college, ran websites, wrote, all of it. Dad thought it was great, got a huge kick out of it, and laughed his head off when he pointed out to me that I was writing fic with a rating I technically wasn’t old enough to read (my father and I have a very strange relationship). But my work has for the most part always been very plot driven with smut/sex kind of being only a component of it, so I guess it’s kind of understandable that he wasn’t absolutely horrified.

15) When did you first start reading fanfiction?

God, I think I must have been about 13 or 14 when I first started. I was a latchkey kid with too much time on my hands, a voracious appetite for reading and a good modem. I think I started with Power Rangers (yeah, yeah, I know) and Deep Space Nine if my memory serves but that’s almost 14 years ago so its possible I’m off on that.

16) When did you first get started in writing fanfiction?

I was about 16 when I finally put fingers to keys and tried to write something. I started with BtVS, writing Buffy/Giles fanfiction, which actually had a larger following than you might think. I kind of hit that pairing at just the right time when it really took root, got some great supporters and authors and took off. I stayed with B/G and then moved to Wes/Faith (I think I have a watcher/slayer thing) for about four years. It was a great experience and comparing the fics I started with to the fics I finished with over that run is something.

17) Is fanfic writing just a hobby for you or do you hope to go further with your writing?

At the moment it’s pretty much just a hobby. I’ve never fully abandoned the idea that one day it might turn into something more, but right now I pretty much work and write and occasionally pay attention to my poor beleaguered spouse and that takes up all the time I have. And right now I’d rather enjoy my writing and the feedback that comes with fanfic than try to force it to become another job.

18) When you aren’t writing awesome fanfics, what do you do and/or want to be doing?

I’m at work or at a social gathering usually wishing I was at home at my computer writing. Sometimes my best ideas come to me when they have absolutely no business doing so, and wind up screwing everything up. Seriously, I know it may not seem like it because of the length of time between updates, but my stories are always sitting there in the back of my mind.

19) How and why did you first get interested in Chlex? What do you like most about the characters? What do you hate about them?

I got interested in Chlex this summer, when I went looking for a new pairing/fandom I could get behind. There is nothing currently on TV which is really inspiring me on the writing front and my other fandoms were either dying or not updating frequently enough to keep me attached.

A friend of mine finally got me to sit down with her Smallville Season 1 and 2 DVDs. Although it came on after Buffy, I had avoided the show because I’m usually not really a Superman fan. There’s too much black and white in his clean-cut American heroism for me. But I found I liked the reinterpretation with the origins idea and how it raised some questions for him and placed Clark in some morally murky ground (whether he actually ever acknowledged it or not).

Lex was my boy from the start (I have a thing for anti-hero pragmatists; see above re: Wesley and Webb). And the dirty, horrible, nasty truth is I honestly could have swung any way in his pairings provided it was het (It’s not that I don’t enjoy well-written slash, but I don’t ‘ship it the way I do het and have too much respect for those who do it well to try it myself). So I went out looking for fanfic just to see what I could find, and I’ve read it all, even pairings which shall not be named (you may throw things at me later). And as with any fanfiction genre, I have read really well written and really poorly written stories with every Lex pairing. But it seemed that the consistently best het stuff, which explored the most interesting aspects of Lex came from the Chlex corner of the world. Then I found Skauble’s “What You Don’t Know” which was so darkly romantic and by that time I had also gotten myself up to Season 3 and the whole thing in combination sold me. Her website directed me over to N-S, and the rest is history.

So in summary all Skauble’s fault.

What I love about Lex and Chloe has a lot to do with their similarities. They are idealists wrapped in pragmatists. Both of them believe in this greater things (different greater things, but greater things). Chloe believes in heroes and good and Clark Kent and she, to be truly clichéd here, “loves like she’s never been hurt” with everything in her. Lex believes in the right of the human race to survive, and its capacity to exceed its limitations through science, provided its willing to make some sacrifices to do so. He wants to believe in things that are unseen and unknown, and while he doesn’t know how to love the way Chloe does, he still wants to believe love exists and is possible, even though every experience he’s had should have pretty much taught him it doesn’t. He’s just all screwed up about what it looks like (when your most loving and comforting symbol in your life is the memory of your post-partum psychosis mother who let you take the rap for her, I think your perception of love gets seriously warped).

And yet for all that, both of them are pragmatists. They’re able to see that choices are going to have to be made, and sometimes they’re going to suck. And they’re willing to face the fact that they can’t expect these things to come easy or without cost. You will never here the words “I shouldn’t have to make that choice” out of their mouths because they’ve keyed in on the fact that when the stakes are this high, sooner or later you always have to make “that choice.”

What I dislike about Lex and Chloe has more to do with the spurts of character discontinuity the show has than the characters themselves. Chloe’s sudden unyielding placement against Lex prior to discovering Clark’s secret made no mental sense, nor did the fake baby plot from Lex’s perspective. With regards to their actual personalities, there are things there that I can acknowledge as flaws and that I would probably find personally annoying, but from a writer’s perspective I usually just find that makes them more interesting to write (i.e. Lex’s hubris, both’s desperate clinging need to be loved. Their tendency to dig into a position and charge full speed ahead etc.)

20) How and why did you first get interested in writing Chlex fanfiction?

As I said, I went into this looking for a new fandom to write in, so when I found this site and started devouring the stories here, I was intentionally looking for what I could add as an author. Because I have a tendency to come to fandoms late (with the notable exception of BtVS), my modus operandi as a writer has always been towards what I call “the gap”. In almost every fandom/pairing there is generally an aspect of a relationship or character which hasn’t been addressed in any real detail or a point in time that for one reason or another fics don’t get set in all that often. I look for that so that I’m bringing something new to the party. Because lets face it, I’m never going to do a season 7 fic as cool and dark as TAA’s “Depths We Sink To” or an unplanned pregnancy fic as beautiful as Zannie’s “Nameless”.

But what I did see was, for lack of a better word, “missing” was a fic which really dealt with Chloe and Lex in season 6 at the exact emotional point they were at (with the hating) and in terms of the experiments Lex was doing. I didn’t want Chloe to just acknowledge they were out there, I wanted Lex’s crimes and potential descent to be a central aspect to the story, something Chloe had to struggle with and make choices about. I could contribute something new there. Hence “Collaborator” was born, and I hope it’s met my goal of being something that generally feels original.

21) Is there anything while reading Chlex fanfiction that you really like/hate?

I cannot stand stories which overly soften Lex. It’s a fine line between Lex’s being sweet and romantic and Lex being out of character (and for me at least one of the major challenges of “Christmas in Metropolis”). I want my Lex to have edges, even with Chloe.

I’m very conscious of dialogue. A story which can nail the character’s voices will always hold my attention, no matter what weaknesses in plot, more than a well plotted story where the characters don’t sound like the characters I know.

I really like that the writers here tend towards long-form chaptered stories. I have often bemoaned that with the advent of livejournal, many fandoms have moved towards much shorter stories which are really more character reflection pieces than fiction. While I’ve written a few myself and enjoy reading many of those, I always want the longer stuff.

22) What (if any) other fandoms do you read/write for and why?

Oh man, I’ve written short stories for a lot of different fandoms – Heroes, X-men (movieverse), Traveler, Harry Potter. Generally what attracts me or compels me to write are two elements, 1) a particular male lead (intellectual, a little broken, and hardened pragmatist. This is never the main male, always a side character); and 2) a love/duty divide, I have a tendency to write my love stories as choices, more often than not there is a essential divide between my male and female lead whether because they’re on different sides of a fight/belief or have damaged each other in some way (Lex/Chloe, Wes/Faith; Chambers/Kim; Webb/Mac), those two elements are really what start me moving. As far as fandoms that I’ve really sunk my teeth into . . .

1) BtVS/Angel – My first and probably longest love. As I said before, I ‘shipped Watchers and Slayers (Buffy/Giles, Wes/Faith). I think in general Joss’s shows are fairly inspiring to fanfiction writers because he understands chemistry without anvils, and the complexity of human relationships, how you move away from people and come back to them, and the connections between people may not always be understandable or pretty (the Wes Faith dynamic was a great example of that), so there was just an amazing amount of fodder there and like so many others I couldn’t walk away.

2) Power Rangers (Old School) – Yes, I’m aware this is just weird and fairly embarrassing on many levels. But stay with me for a minute. As I said, I started reading fanfic when I was pretty young and started with PR fiction. I came back to the fiction after I left Buffy (obviously not the show, because that’s just painful) and realized there’s a core group of fairly good writers (about 10 to 12 of us), who have really used the show as a spring board. It’s about as close as you can come to truly original fiction in the fanfic world. Because essentially you’re working with very elemental character sketches and a few key events which have the potential to be quite emotionally traumatic, but never actually get explored on the show. From there, there are worlds that can be explored and that core group does it pretty well. I’m actually very proud of my PR stories themselves (if slightly embarrassed of their inspiration).

3) JAG: I can’t stand Harm so I only write Webb/Mac fiction. Again this kind of continues in my vein of dealing with pragmatist males and couples who have damaged each other in some way. There’s a massive gap in the fiction for that ‘ship that really deals with the fallout of after they broke up (he faked his death and she only found out when she wound up in the line of fire of an assassin who was after him. There was a lot unfinished crap there), so I have tendency to play there. But truthfully it has to be the most hostile fandom I’ve ever been in (the Harm/Mac ‘shippers don’t know how to let the rest of us exist in peace. Dude, you won!), so I move in and out of it as I get enough energy to deal with the crap.

23) What type of environment do you need to write? For example: extreme quiet, blaring music, subtle background noise, etc.

A lot of times out of the sheer necessity of trying to find time, I write in the evenings while watching a tv show with my husband, but when I’m really trying to push out a chapter the best environment is me and my headphones and my specially created Chlex playlist (I have one for each major story I’m working on).

24) How do your ideas come to you? Do you always write them or do you let them disappear?

It depends on the idea. ‘Collaborator’ was a fic that was pieced together from finding the gap I talked about, to then trying to figure out what on earth would get these two characters into the same room with each other. I was looking for an opening while watching Season 6 and when I saw ‘Freak’ and how distraught Chloe was, everything clicked.

’We Are Who We’ve Always Been’ and ‘Christmas in Metropolis’ however sprang up fully formed, hit me over the head, and insisted on being written. The ideas took hold and the first chapter was written in the same day because I quite literally could not think about anything else.

Though it may not sound like it, I don’t immediately write every story that comes to me. I have three very different story ideas sitting on the back-burner which will compete to be the next one to come up and take Christmas’s place when it’s finished, and it is my intention to try to get all of them written eventually.

25) Do you plan a story from the beginning to end or start with an idea and let the chapters come to you as they do?

For very long stories like ‘Collaborator’, like many of the authors here, I have several very clear plot points, and I always know exactly how the fic will end and have a clear ending scene that I want to hit in a story, and extremely detailed character arcs for how I want the characters to evolve. Then as I’m writing there will be elements that will start to get integrated and prompt additional scenes to be stuck into the outline or will change details of already planned scenes even as the essence of the scenes remain the same.

With my shorter stories like ‘We Are’ and ‘Christmas’, I actually know all the scenes (I may not know the specifics or how long the scenes will be, but I know what has to happen in each). So I guess it just varies.

26) Do you ever input certain aspects about yourself into the lives of Chloe and Lex? For example: Do you have Chloe listen to your favorite song or have Lex watch your favorite movie?

Yes and no. In small ways I do it, mostly when I’ve already determined that I need something for that moment, and I can pull on an element of my experiences to supply it, provided it fits. For example, in ‘We Are’ Lex turns on ‘One for My Baby’ which as I mentioned is one of my favs, but I think it works, because I can picture Lex liking old jazz, and the song is appropriate for the moment. Similarly, the aspect of Chloe and Lex sharing their drinks in ‘Collaborator’ stems from the fact that I kind of have a hot beverage fetish, but again I think it integrates smoothly because Lex is rarely without a drink in hand.

On the other hand no matter how much of a Broadway fanatic I am, you’ll never see it in a fic here because it doesn’t make sense from either Chloe or Lex’s personalities.

27) Do you associate your writing with any songs even if it isn’t a songfic?

Oh God yes. In addition to the playlists I make, every fic I write has a very specific song that gets tagged to it. For example, ‘We Are’ is integrally tied to Kelly Clarkson’s “Sober” for me; and likewise ‘Collaborator’ to Kelly Clarkson’s “Addicted” (I have no idea why my Chlex fics seem to tend towards Kelly Clarkson songs, since it’s not really a general preference for me). “Christmas in Metropolis” isn’t inspired by Becky great Christmas video but whenever I need to get back into the mood, I watch that, so that would be Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas”

28) Do you prefer writing easy, quick stories or long, layered stories?

Just as I prefer reading long-layered stories, I prefer writing them as well. Particularly with this couple. Since I have a tendency to play in the later seasons, this is not a comfortable couple, and I think to build them up correctly to make the emotion and connection feel real (at least in my writing) it has be lengthy. On the other hand, I have to admit ‘We Are’ has to be one of my favorite things that I’ve ever written, because its composed of almost nothing but emotional pressure points, so . . . I guess that’s not entirely clean.

29) Which do you find easier to write: dialogue or description or are the equally hard/easy?

Depends on the story. (I know, I don’t actually give straight answers to anything). But truthfully, shorter stories (ala ‘We Are’) are always description heavy and that’s just what feels natural. Whereas, longer stories are driven by the dialogue and that’s what flows.

30) Is there anything that you won’t write or feel uncomfortable writing?

Not much. Sex scenes are tricky for me. I’ll write them, and god knows I love to read them, but they do take some effort. And frankly there are authors out there whose stuff will be sexier. Honestly, my sex scenes have a tendency to be more about the emotion than the technique and quite often the technique is not always that adventurous.

31) What do you do to cure writer’s block? What advice can you give to new writers who might be scared to post their stories?

Writer’s block: Write through it. I know a lot of writers say get up and walk away. And I think that works to a point. But I also think there’s a threshold of the amount of time you can step back from a fic before you lose momentum and there comes a point where you have to just start putting fingers to keys and keep typing. You’ll have to trash a lot of what comes out (or better yet, put it in your scraps folder because you might use a piece of dialogue later), but sooner or later, something will click and then it will start to come fast and furious again.

New writers: First things first. Be familiar with your material. Here’s the thing. Fanfiction is distinctly different from original stories for a reason. Your readers know these characters, they have opinions about them already. You have to know things like how Lex will react or how Chloe phrases things. Nothing will make me avoid a story quicker than the words “Lex might be a little OOC here” to me that’s a sign of laziness on the part of a fanfic writer. Second, I think you have to feel your story. There has to be an emotional investment, if when you read your story it makes you happy or makes your gut clench or whatever that response has to be, you’re halfway there. Third, get your grammar, spelling, and tense right. Those three things right off the bat will mark you out as new and many will walk away. Then, find someone to read it for you and give you a little insight and encouragement. If you want, I am happy to be someone, pm me and I’ll give you all the help I can. Finally, to borrow from Nike, “Just Do It”. You can’t find a warmer or more supportive board than here. Your first piece of fanfiction will not be your best. You will read it a year or two years from now and cringe, but it will bring joy to someone and your next chapter or next piece will be better and that’s only going to happen with trial and error.

32) Have you ever read someone else’s fanfic and wished you thought of the idea first?

Occasionally. Not often, because usually original ideas correspond with well-executed fic and there’s something magical about getting swept up in that. But occasionally when a story has been started and left unfinished after only a few chapters or when it starts out promising and then for some reason went horribly off course with a characterization, my fingers start to itch. Luckily I don’t think I’ve ever encountered that impulse on this board.

33) Have you ever wanted someone else to write your story idea?

No. My stories are very personal, and rarely do they come with just a plot outline. Often there are very specific scenes with particular pieces of dialogue that I want to make happen, I couldn’t bear to see the story without those pieces and if someone else wrote it it wouldn’t happen.

34) Are reviews vital to keep you writing or will you finish a story even if you aren’t certain people are reading?

You know, I know we’re all supposed to be writing for the muse, the satisfaction of a well told story, but honestly… I think any fanfiction writer who tells you that reviews don’t matter is full of crap. They matter. They matter a lot. And yes they are vital. I have an insane amount going on in my life and putting out a chapter is not an easy process. Often one chapter of ‘Collaborator’ is several nights and a whole weekend’s worth of writing and tweaking. And while there’s an amazing personal high that comes from completing a chapter and knowing in my heart that it’s right. There’s something even better about getting confirmation of that from other people. Not letting you guys down is what makes me keep putting myself through that.

I know how much joy good fanfic can bring to my life and I love knowing that my fic is doing it for someone else. There’s nothing better than the ‘omg I stayed up all night reading this’ or the ‘please god you have to update’ reviews because I’ve experienced those same emotions about a story. And there is nothing to describe the high I get if a writer I really admire reviews my work.

35) Have you ever had a review that made you think something about your story that you never thought of before? Has a review ever made you want to make a major change to your story?

Sabrina’s reviews do that to me constantly. Not the major change, but I use her insights as my gauge. If she’s picked up on it, I did it right. If she’s brought up a question or a concern I usually go back to my outline to make sure it’s going to be addressed if I feel it leaves a logic gap otherwise. It’s gotten to the point where I feedback her feedback just because that whole process makes my work better.

36) How badly do you want to write for Smallville or at least rewrite some of the seasons?

A little. Unlike a lot people on this board, I don’t have any undying need to undo the ‘ship that will not be named, but I would like the opportunity to redo Lex’s descent. I think the writers had set up something really nice in season 3 for the motivations behind that (with Lex’s view that the human race needed to keep from simply handing itself over to some alien protector), and while they would occasionally come back to it was always in a piecemeal disjointed fashion that usually left it feeling odd and forced. In a lot of ways, ‘Collaborator’ is my effort at exploring those motivations and beliefs in a more coherent manner.

37) Do you see Chloe and Lex or other Smallville characters in different television shows or movies? Meaning, do you watch a movie like Star Wars and start thinking that Lex is just like Han Solo?

You know until I started writing ‘Christmas in Metropolis,’ I would have said no, but then I did, so there goes that. I do see Lex in The Painted Veil and I’ve been dying to find a couple I could do a reinterpretation of that story with, but the thing is the heroine is too self-involved at the beginning to work for Chloe, so I think that one is destined to remain in the back of my mind.

38) What do you think AM and MR would say about your fics if they read them? How would you feel if someone from the show did read your writings?

When I write, I have a tendency to write a story like I’m blocking a play. Visualizing exactly where AM or MR would be at a specific moment, how MR would say a line or what AM’s facial expression would be here or there. I often go back to my video files to get those details right, for example if I want to know how Chlex interacts at sword points we go to the end of Progeny and Commencement. If want to know how Lex is drunk . . . its Reckoning no matter how painful that scene might be for my ‘shippers eyes. So I would like to think that AM and MR would like to play some of those scenes, specifically the ones towards the beginning of ‘Collaborator.’

Truthfully, I think they’d think I was crazy.

39) If you could have any super power, what would it be and why? Would you use it for good or evil?

The ability to stop time. I’d use it to take a nap and do more writing.

1) If you could visit any place at any time period, where would you go and what would you do?

I’d like to go to the future, just to see how the people are doing, if the earth is still around and all that.

2) Have you ever met anyone famous?

Andy Garcia. I was working as a cashier and he was a customer. He has a lovely family.

3) If you could meet any famous person, alive or dead, who would it be and what would you say/do?

This might be dorky but I’d like to meet Abe Lincoln. He’s my favorite American President and I’d love to ask him about his thoughts on what was going on during the civil war.

4) If you could switch lives with any person, who would you choose and why? If you want to switch with a person who is dead, we’ll assume that you wanted to live their life while he/she was alive.

I really don’t know. Guess the pessimist in me can’t help but think of all the downsides, for example if I lived during the Victorian period, all I can think of is the fact that women were subordinates to the men, so I guess I’m pretty satisfied with this life.

5) Who is your favorite author, alive or dead, and why?

Paulo Coelho. There’s just something about the way he writes that. I’ve read a lot of books and his is just… there’s just something there.

6) What is your favorite book and why?

Veronika Decides to Die, call me weird but the story was interesting to me, the idea that someone who decided to die and then lives only to find out that she’s dying. I guess it’s because it’s a story about choosing life, despite all the trials and tribulations that this life has to offer, it is still worth living, the ending was just powerful.

7) Who is your favorite singer, alive or dead, and why?

I like bands. Metallica, I love their songs, their sound. And for the moment I am liking the Crashtones, Sam Witwer is a riot.

8.)  What is your favorite song and why?

Not a song actually, I really LOVE Rachmaninov’s “Concerto # 2 in C Minor-1 Moderato.” I love the way that it starts off as a depressing piece but then you just feel a bit of hope as it concludes. Tchaikovsky’s “Violin Concerto”, also a favorite of mine.

9) What is your favorite movie and why?

I like a lot of movies but the top of my list: Lord of the Rings, such a visual masterpiece, only my opinion of course. And Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner is definitely another favorite, the writing and the acting, so impeccably done.

10) What is your favorite television show and why?

The thing is I watch a lot of tv. And there are so many shows out there. I have a couple of favorites:

Eli Stone, I like the musical numbers, what can I say? And also I feel inspired whenever I watch one of the episodes. It shall be greatly missed (ABC unfortunately decided to cancel it).

Supernatural, wasn’t a fan originally. I was actually put off by both Jared and Jensen. I didn’t like Jared in Gilmore Girls and I didn’t like Jensen in Smallville, so I decided to pass on the show. Then I happened upon an episode when I finished watching SV, I think during the second season of SPN and I’ve been hooked since.

Brimstone. I don’t know a lot of people who saw this show. I actually just caught some reruns on a cable channel. They were having a marathon. The premise is interesting, the way they solved the case was cheesy, but there was just something about it. John Glover being in it was a major selling point. He sure played a great Lucifer. Oh and the protagonist’s name was Ezekiel, I happen to love the way that Glover said it, so awesome!

And finally I used to be a diehard fan of Veronica Mars; I loved that show. I always thought that the writers and the creator had such respect for the audience; they didn’t seem to underestimate the intelligence of the viewer. It was the show I truly got hooked on. I was basically heartbroken upon its cancellation, to this day I can’t watch the show, I can’t open up my DVDs and actually sit down and watch it. I think that Rob Thomas basically screwed us (the cult-like fans) over. I’m really pretty sure that I hate his guts, at least until he gives the fans the ending that we richly deserve.

11) Who is your favorite actor/actress, alive or dead, and why?

I like Kathryn Hepburn; I absolutely loved her in Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner and didn’t particularly care for the remake. And her acting in Little Women, she’s the only incarnation of Jo March that I truly love.

12) What is the one movie/television show that you would never admit to family, friends, co-workers that you watch? Yes, I know asking defeats the point, but spill your guts anyway.

Zoey 101, I don’t know why I watch, it is so…opposite of my nature, but I watched the finale *cringes*.

13) Do people in your Real Life know that you are a member of NS?

Not that I’m aware of. But I won’t mind if they ever find out.

14) Do people in your Real Life know that you read/write fanfiction?

Yep. I think I even encouraged a roommate of mine to start writing as well.

15) When did you first start reading fanfiction?

Almost eight years ago, I feel old now.

16) When did you first get started in writing fanfiction?

This is embarrassing, but it was because of a cartoon, Hey Arnold! I think Helga and Arnold belong together!!! And I promptly wrote everything that way. Although my first fanfic, it was about how a teenage girl copes with the death of a first love. I wanted to write an original fic but I ended up writing for the fandom instead.

17) Is fanfic writing just a hobby for you or do you hope to go further with your writing?

I don’t know yet, right now I just like writing.

18) When you aren’t writing awesome fanfics, what do you do and/or want to be doing?

I go to work; I go to school, hoping to finish my ever elusive degree. That and I’m hoping to get into law school sometime next year.

19) How and why did you first get interested in Chlex? What do you like most about the characters? What do you hate about them?

I got into reading Smallville fanfics, I started off with the usual Chlark but then I read some Chlex and I realized how much better those two were together and here I am. I like Chloe’s inquisitive nature; she epitomizes the words intrepid reporter. I like the darkness in Lex; he is evidence that there is a certain darkness in all of us, it depends on how you act on it that defines what kind of human being you are. I hate Chloe’s need to be around Clark, she’d be so much better off without the BDA. As for Lex, I hated the way he kept trying to get back in Clark’s good graces in season 4; I actually liked him in the latter seasons when he no longer cared, just not crazy about the entire Lex/Lana debacle.

20) How and why did you first get interested in writing Chlex fanfiction?

Clark is an idiot, when I realized that he didn’t deserve Chloe’s attention, and discovering all the lovely stories about Chloe and Lex, well I hopped on the bandwagon and never looked back.

21) Is there anything while reading Chlex fanfiction that you really like/hate?

I’m usually willing to read anything, but lately between work and school, I tend to just go with the authors I like.

22) What (if any) other fandoms do you read/write for and why?

Logan and Veronica (they’re epic?) and the way their story played out in the last season, it deserved a whole lot of rewrites.

Chloe and Oliver. Someone from NS asked me if I could write a Chloe and Ollie, so I did. From there everything just went out of control and I know that I actually have more Chlollie fics than Chlex but the truth is that Oliver is easier to write, no matter what’s going on in the show he is at the shallow end of the pool, Lex requires more thought.

Chloe and Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale). This is just a recent attempt. I like the darkness in Bale’s Bruce. He slightly reminds me of Lex. I’m not sure if I’m going to actually pair the two together, but I am enjoying the process of writing for the characters.

Chloe and the Winchester boys. I know there are a lot of fics concerning this crossover universe and I couldn’t help but join in. It’s so fun trying to write for Dean and then thinking of the ways that Chloe can respond to him.

I read Betty and Daniel from Ugly Betty, I love the way they’ve been portrayed on the show. Lately I’ve been reading about Dan and Blair from Gossip Girl, they sure have the verbal judo going on between them, though I stopped watching the show because of the utter lack of character growth.

23) What type of environment do you need to write? For example: extreme quiet, blaring music, subtle background noise, etc.
I need mood music. Especially when I’m trying to get ‘into character’, I actually had to resort to looking for music that reminded me of the characters, just to silence the voices in my head (I know I sound crazy). But for me, these characters just sound different from one another, so when I am writing for a specific one, I tend to stick with the music I associate with them, for example, Lex: classical music, some of Josh Groban’s songs and AFI’s “Prelude 12/21”; Oliver Queen: John Mayer; Dean Winchester: AC/DC, Metallica (no offense to Led Zeppelin fans but I get sleepy listening to their music).

24) How do your ideas come to you? Do you always write them or do you let them disappear?

I always bring a notebook with me for when inspiration hit. I write them down, start an outline, if I get around to writing it then swell, but there are times that I just let an idea go, though I sometimes mourn their loss.

25) Do you plan a story from the beginning to end or start with an idea and let the chapters come to you as they do?

I used to let the chapters just come to me with the first few stories of mine, but eventually I realized that if I don’t plan it, well the story would lack coherence, now I usually outline them, I always have the option not to go the way I initially started from.

26) Do you ever input certain aspects about yourself into the lives of Chloe and Lex? For example: Do you have Chloe listen to your favorite song or have Lex watch your favorite movie?

I used to, but then I made the decision that these characters are not my own, I would rather let them keep their own person, if that makes any sense. Although, there are times that you have to make a conscious decision on their preferences, like movies, food. I try to at least give them plausible choices, which don’t always coincide with my own.

27) Do you associate your writing with any songs even if it isn’t a songfic?

All the time. Music is the driving force behind my writing.

28) Do you prefer writing easy, quick stories or long, layered stories?

I think I’m more into layered stories; I find that one chapter does not really deliver what I want the story to say. I can do one shots but I sometimes feel compelled to add more.

29) Which do you find easier to write: dialogue or description or are the equally hard/easy?

Dialogue, I suck at descriptions, I remember the first time I wrote my first story and I had my friend read it, she told my about the kissing scene and how awkward it was, so I try and imagine the scene and then I have such difficulty putting them into words, oh well, working on it.

30) Is there anything that you won’t write or feel uncomfortable writing?

I can’t do slash fics, not that I have any objections to their existence; I just don’t think I can ever write them.

31) What do you do to cure writer’s block? What advice can you give to new writers who might be scared to post their stories?

I really have no cure. I sometimes force myself to write even when I don’t feel like it but my work just doesn’t turn out the way I want, so I just usually wait it out. Keep writing, it doesn’t matter how bad you are initially (I know I was bad and I still need to improve), but if you just keep writing you tend to evolve and you get better.

32) Have you ever read someone else’s fanfic and wished you thought of the idea first?

No, I don’t think so. I guess there are so many ideas floating around that I don’t really feel that someone else’s coincided with mine. Although I have read a couple of fics that have the same plotlines but they almost always differ through the course of the story.

33) Have you ever wanted someone else to write your story idea?

Not really. Because my idea could very well not be in line with someone else’s, I even have a hard time suggesting story ideas to someone. I can usually listen to one and add a couple of points but that’s about it.

34) Are reviews vital to keep you writing or will you finish a story even if you aren’t certain people are reading?

It’s good to get reviews. Especially from this community, love the reviewers to pieces! It can encourage writing. But I have a compulsion to finish what I started, so even if someone doesn’t read and/or review I’d keep at it, probably finish it sooner or later, but I would finish.

35) Have you ever had a review that made you think something about your story that you never thought of before? Has a review ever made you want to make a major change to your story?

Yes and yes. I remember my non-Chlex fic, I somehow found myself writing a Chlark because of a reviewer, in that same vein I wrote in a Chlex history because of Kathy(yes, I am naming names).

36) How badly do you want to write for Smallville or at least rewrite some of the seasons?

Not that badly, I guess it’s because I can always opt to twist their world into what I want to happen. Although given the chance I would probably rewrite the fourth season, it should have paved the way for Chlex.

37) Do you see Chloe and Lex or other Smallville characters in different television shows or movies? Meaning, do you watch a movie like Star Wars and start thinking that Lex is just like Han Solo?

I haven’t really thought of it. I do think that I am drawn to characters who can engage in witty banter, it’s what I adore about the Chlex relationship.

38) What do you think AM and MR would say about your fics if they read them? How would you feel if someone from the show did read your writings?

I honestly don’t know how they would react; I do wish that they would appreciate the fact that the characters they play are beloved. And if someone from the show ever read my stories, well I’d probably say Ha! You may ruin the show but in the fanfic realm, you’re in the fans’ territory.

39) If you could have any super power, what would it be and why? Would you use it for good or evil?

I never really thought about it. But if I ever think of one, I’d probably use it for good and evil, alternating probably every few years, just so I don’t get bored. I mean, I really don’t want to be a goody like Clark. But I don’t want to be a full blown evil one, because I do care about them Earthlings.

Interview: Scorch

1) If you could visit any place at any time period, where would you go and what would you do?

I would go to North East England in 1960 and I’d watch the ships on the river Tyne. They brought and took coal to and from the collieries that are now closed. That river was a life force during those years.

2) Have you ever met anyone famous?

Oh God, yes! I go autograph fairs and conventions. I’ve met lots of famous people, but the one that always sticks out is a bloke called Andy Holmes. He was number 19 in the Durham Wasps ice hockey team before they were bought out by Sir John Hall. My first crush, my first famous person, and my first autograph.

3) If you could meet any famous person, alive or dead, who would it be and what would you say/do?

I would go meet Hitler and ask why.

4) If you could switch lives with any person, who would you choose and why? If you want to switch with a person who is dead, we’ll assume that you wanted to live their life while he/she was alive.

This one is easy! I’d swap with Billie Piper because she got to kiss both Christopher Eccleston and David Tennant!

5) Who is your favorite author, alive or dead, and why?

Again, easy. Jane Austen because she delivered the ultimate in a hero. Mr. Darcy is the ultimate hero. Sure, he’s proud and presumptuous, but that’s how he was brought up. He is strong enough to ignore what his society and family dictates in order to pursue what he feels. Plus, he’s worth 10,000 a year!

6) What is your favorite book and why?

It’s a book that’s now out of print. Catwitch. A story about a cat that begins life as a barn cat and ends up travelling with gypsies. Short book with beautiful artwork and a fantastic story. The woman whose lap this little cat lands in is a witch. She’s waiting for the right moment on the right night to cast a certain spell. Catwitch is helping her, and then he sees the gypsies who show him another adventure. Amazing story!

7) Who is your favorite singer, alive or dead, and why?

David Bowie, without question. Why? Because his voice is beautiful to listen too and watching the videos make you grin. Or seethe with jealousy, depending if you’re me or not!!

8) What is your favorite song and why?

I don’t have one specific favorite song. I have songs that I associate with my moods. At the minute I’d choose “I Touch Myself”. Dunno why!

9) What is your favorite movie and why?

I have two. From the T to the O! One is the 1995 BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. The other is Labyrinth. David Bowie in kidskin pants? I’ll say no more!

10) What is your favorite television show and why?

Will & Grace! Why? Because I live it and everything is entirely true! Mark and I have known each since we were five, we even tried to date when we were 10, but I was missing something! We’re more like Will and Karen than Will and Grace, but no matter. You date me, you date Mark, and vice versa.

11) Who is your favorite actor/actress, alive or dead, and why?

Do I have to say?! My list is so long. I adore Katherine Hepburn, Audrey Hepburn, Danny Kaye, Jackie Chan, and Humphrey Bogart to name a few. Why? Katherine Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart for the African Queen. Audrey Hepburn for Funny Face. Danny Kaye for a film in which he played twins. Jackie Chan because he’s amazing, plain and simple.

12) What is the one movie/television show that you would never admit to family, friends, co-workers that you watch? Yes, I know asking defeats the point, but spill your guts anyway.

This question for me is null and void because I had to ask my mum to tape the omnibus while I was at college. It was Sunset Beach!!!

13) Do people in your Real Life know that you are a member of NS?

Yep! They also know I’m a member of Fanfic.net. Angels-Oasis, Whofic.com, Austen.com, Hyacinthgardens.com

14) Do people in your Real Life know that you read/write fanfiction?

I’m so far out of the fanfic closet; I get advice from my gay housemate’s boyfriend!

15) When did you first start reading fanfiction?

When I was 21. I thought I was reading an Angel episode. So I waited on the edge of my seat for all this action to happen and it never did. I was so bloody disappointed!

16) When did you first get started in writing fanfiction?

When I was 21!

17) Is fanfic writing just a hobby for you or do you hope to go further with your writing?

It started as a hobby, but now I’m getting money for writing.

18) When you aren’t writing awesome fanfics, what do you do and/or want to be doing?

You know those pornographic fantasies in men’s and women’s magazines? I write them and get paid for the ones that get accepted.

19) How and why did you first get interested in Chlex? What do you like most about the characters? What do you hate about them?

I first got into Chlex when Chloe said she had a 3 megabyte file on Lex. God only knows what was in that 3 megabyte file! Lex when he first logged onto the Torch website, then paused on a picture of Chloe.

What do I hate about them? One word, babe. Blindness. Chloe is so busy helping she’s blind to her own life slipping away. Lex is so busy hating he’s blind to everything.

20) How and why did you first get interested in writing Chlex fanfiction?

This was before I discovered NS. I saw and read some horrid Chlex smut and I do mean horrid. I’m talking the words throbbing member, her little pink button of love, his staff of sex… God almighty! What’s wrong with the words prick, dick, cock, shaft, nuts, balls?!?! So I decided to inflict my idea of smut onto prudes, then I found NS and I’m very grateful.

21) Is there anything while reading Chlex fanfiction that you really like/hate?

Oh yes. Oh hell yes. Chloe saw her mother go insane. She was strong enough to help her dad through it and come out wanting a good life. Why in the hell would anyone that strong want to slash wrists/jump off bridges/take pills/cry and wait until someone comes to dry her tears. She’s Chloe Sullivan, not Lana Lang.

22) What (if any) other fandoms do you read/write for and why?

Oh yes! Labyrinth because Sarah needed to call the owl, Jareth, back to join the party. Angel because Cordy and Angelus (not Angel) would be fun. Pride and Prejudice, because of the scandal that comes with library sex during the day while unmarried. Final Fantasy 7 because Vincent Valentine was so glad Tifa was okay. Final Fantasy 10 because I can’t let Auron go. Final Fantasy 12 because Balthier is too good to waste. Doctor Who because he’s the Doctor. Resident Evil because in the Code: Veronica book Claire’s brother, Chris, wonders how close his sister and Leon Kennedy have gotten.

23) What type of environment do you need to write? For example: extreme quiet, blaring music, subtle background noise, etc.

I just need a quiet head and that’s hard to do. When I’m trying to write Chlex and all Lex wants to do is stuff his hands down Chloe’s pants, that is not a quiet head!

24) How do your ideas come to you? Do you always write them or do you let them disappear?

My ideas come as quickly as a boy during his first wank! I get ideas from the oddest of places. Seriously. Boiling the kettle, going to the lavvy, blowing my nose. Anything can ignite a fic idea. I don’t always let them disappear. I tend to get a few chapter outlines, as in what I want to happen when I want it to happen, and then I follow with script.

25) Do you plan a story from the beginning to end or start with an idea and let the chapters come to you as they do?

I try to do this, really I do, but some characters are stronger than I am a writer. Lex and Chloe are just two of them. Tifa and Vincent, Sarah and Jareth, Cordelia and Angelus, Elizabeth and Fitzwilliam, Claire and Leon.

26) Do you ever input certain aspects about yourself into the lives of Chloe and Lex? For example: Do you have Chloe listen to your favorite song or have Lex watch your favorite movie?

Absolutely not. Chloe isn’t me and I’m not Chloe. I keep myself to myself, but I occasionally do indulge myself. I just need Lex to do it!

27) Do you associate your writing with any songs even if it isn’t a songfic?

Yes, I do. Both are by Roxette. “Sleepin’ In My Car” and “How Do You Do?” I have no idea why.

28) Do you prefer writing easy, quick stories or long, layered stories?

I like doing both. Quick stories are just that. Quick. They give your brain a quick fix and get you a quick feedback fix, but long, layered stories are bloody hard work. The more you put into it, the more you get out of it.

29) Which do you find easier to write: dialogue or description or are the equally hard/easy?

It depends on which fandom and which character. In Chlex, I find it description because Lex is the easiest to read.

30) Is there anything that you won’t write or feel uncomfortable writing?

Not at all. I can write what my reader is comfortable reading.

31) What do you do to cure writer’s block? What advice can you give to new writers who might be scared to post their stories?

Writer’s block is a right old bitch. My advice? Be a right old bitch right back. Refuse to let it win. Think of writer’s block like a cramp. Instead of working it out, write it out. Doesn’t matter if you end up with pages of shit, you’ve got rid of it.

32) Have you ever read someone else’s fanfic and wished you thought of the idea first?

Yes! But I gave her the idea in the first place! I just wish I’d written it the way she had. Lysa’s “Double Or Nothing”.

33) Have you ever wanted someone else to write your story idea?

Heh heh heh! See above!

34) Are reviews vital to keep you writing or will you finish a story even if you aren’t certain people are reading?

No, reviews aren’t vital. Reviews are a bonus. I’m not a professional writer so I don’t expect praise or anything like that. I just wanna share my own Fangirlyness with everyone else.

35) Have you ever had a review that made you think something about your story that you never thought of before? Has a review ever made you want to make a major change to your story?

No. My story is my story. If a reviewer has an idea, then they’re welcome to it, but I won’t change my plot to suit someone else. Never, ever. Can you tell someone has tried?!

36) How badly do you want to write for Smallville or at least rewrite some of the seasons?

After what I’ve seen of Smallville lately (S4 so be quiet and don’t tell me!) I’d love to get my hands on a script pad. Where’s the Chloe/Lex friendship gone? I would ask about Lana’s two-facedness, but it’s Lana. It feels like they’ve done a Joss on me. Not good, Al G, not good at all.

37) Do you see Chloe and Lex or other Smallville characters in different television shows or movies? Meaning, do you watch a movie like Star Wars and start thinking that Lex is just like Han Solo?

Erm, no. I’m not bonkers. Now if Lex approached me and said “By shares in my company you will.” Well…!!

38) What do you think AM and MR would say about your fics if they read them? How would you feel if someone from the show did read your writings?

Michael would laugh his socks off and AM would probably be flattered that people thought enough of her character to write about. Andy Hallet knows I write Angel fanfic, so does Jamie Bergman, who is David Boreanaz’s wife. They offer help. I’m not embarrassed.

39) If you could have any super power, what would it be and why? Would you use it for good or evil?

HA! Me and my housemate Mark discussed this the other day. I’d be the telekinetic one so neither of us would need to get up to get a beer from the fridge!! Telekinesis for that reason alone!!

Interview: Lexie

1) If you could visit any place at any time period, where would you go and what would you do?

If I could choose a time and place in history to live in, it’d be Britain in the 19th century. It’s a period and setting I fell in love with through literature and films- all those Brontë sisters’ and Jane Austen’s novels, I guess; and let’s not forget those wonderful BBC miniseries. Now, what would I do there? I’m not a party person, but I’d really like to don a dress sewn in those days and maybe attend a soirée or a ball, be swept off my feet by some gallant and cultured gentleman. What can I say? I’m a hopeless romantic at heart and, if there’s something I miss in the world we live in today is that absence of romanticism and chivalry of those times. Where have real men gone?

2) Have you ever met anyone famous?

I met a couple of artists who used to be popular in Argentina, particularly in the seventies, but whom you wouldn’t know of. I’d say the only person I met as I child that you must have heard of is San Antonio Spurs’ Emanuel Ginobili, who used to live with his family fifty metres away from my building- we’re both from the same town, Bahía Blanca (Province of Buenos Aires). I used to take English lessons with his eldest brother, Sebastián, another excellent basketball player.

3) If you could meet any famous person, alive or dead, who would it be and what would you say/do?

Pope John Paul II. What I’d say to him would be only between us two and God.

4) If you could switch lives with any person, who would you choose and why? If you want to switch with a person who is dead, we’ll assume that you wanted to live their life while he/she was alive.

I’m very happy with whom I am and, although sometimes I feel I should have been born in another century, I’ve never relished the thought of living someone else’s life. Still, you’ve asked me this question and I’ll try to give you an answer. Although I admire many historical characters, there’s one who has a special place in my heart, General Manuel Belgrano. He was an Argentinean lawyer and military man, who went down in history as the creator of our flag but who was so much more- an extraordinary thinker and visionary, a gentleman and a selfless man of good. Now, I’m talking about admiration for a great man, that doesn’t mean I’d trade places with him. I’m determined to make a difference in my own terms, and I suppose being in the trade of education is enough of a challenge.

5) Who is your favorite author, alive or dead, and why?

I’ve got several authors who I enjoy reading but if I had to make just one name, I’d say William Shakespeare. Like most of you I was familiar with his plays from my childhood. What romantic girl hasn’t ever heard of Romeo and Juliet as a child or a teenager? I read his works in the original language when I started my teacher training career and fell in love with his artistry and his mastery of ¨puns¨. It still amazes me how modern and universal his plays are. The passions that move his characters are perennial, the thirst for power’s just the same as that of today’s politicians, and I could go on and on.

6) What is your favorite book and why?

That’d be A. S. Byatt’s Possession. I started reading it one more morning and couldn’t put it down until I reached the last page.

I admire the way in which the author has weaved together both the modern and the Victorian stories, jumping from the past to the present so smoothly. The prose is as rich as the ¨fake¨ period pieces she wrote to go with the fictional Victorian writers she created for the novel- the fairy tales and the poetry look decisively original.

A.S. Byatt accomplished a very difficult feat, to write a romance in the twenty-first century which is as much entertainment as it is a literary work.

7) Who is your favorite singer, alive or dead, and why?

These questions are really killing me because it’s so difficult to give just one name, so I’m going to give two this time. Dead- but very much alive- Frank Sinatra; alive… Neil Diamond.

Frank’s simply a pleasure to listen; from his days as a crooner with Harry James to his Duets albums; he was really A Man for All Seasons. He entertained several generations, and bridged the gap between them with his art, leaving an outstanding legacy that will survive for decades to come. I truly admire him as a professional, as an entertainer and as a man who wasn’t afraid of taking risks and making mistakes when it came to standing up for what he believed.

Now… my enthusiasm for Neil’s music started when I was four. It was kind of magical; I entered a shopping arcade with my parents when on holiday in Mendoza- an Andean province of my home country, Argentina- and there was a song playing (Crunchy Granola Sweet, if I’m not mistaken). I stood stock still in the middle of the corridor. Needless to say my parents and I followed the music like Hansel and Gretel until we got to a music shop. The song had finished by the time we got there so my mum asked the shop assistant what had been playing before we arrived. The man put on the LP and I kind of fell into a trance. My mum said ¨We’ll take it¨ and the man answered- looking at me- ¨But, madam, this music isn’t for children and it’s a double album. ¨ A friend of my parents who happened to be there on holiday with her husband told the man: ¨So what? Children are people, too. And music is music. ¨ Neil Diamond’s 1972 album ¨Hot August Night¨ was my first ¨adult¨ music album. With the advent of new technology, owning my first CD provided me with an address where to get in contact with him. I became the only Argentinean member of his fan club in the early nineties and got a wonderful surprise on my graduation day- a personalized congratulations card. It’s so nice when things like this happen, you know, when artists turn out to be so nice; I hate it when they sell an image which is fake.

What is your favorite song and why?

Frank Sinatra’s rendition of ¨My Way¨ or the string section of his version of ¨It Was a Very Good Year¨. They bring tears to my eyes in the same way as Albinoni´s Addagio or Barber’s Addagio do. I’m a masochist, I know, but sometimes I feel the need to experience that tightening in my gut.

9) What is your favorite movie and why?

Asking a cinemagoer to pick one film is like asking a child to pick a sweet at a sweetshop- or a candy an a candy store, as you Americans would say. A film I never get tired of watching over and over again is Gone with the Wind. Can you believe almost eighty years had gone by since it was released? It still amazes me how modern it looks and how much they managed to do without all the technology filmmakers now have at their disposal. I love everything about it, from the plot and the characters to the acting, the setting, the costumes and the music.

I can’t omit mentioning the Star Wars and Indiana Jones sagas, and the film which has made me cried the most- E.T., the Extraterrestrial.

10) What is your favorite television show and why?

I don’t watch much television; I prefer reading or going to the cinema. No show has sucked me in since the first seasons of SV. I used to watch more shows in the past- the CSI franchise, JAG, NCIS, Close to Home, 24- courtroom or detective dramas, mostly, I’m a sucker for a good mystery. Now I program the DVD recorder whenever I see something in the Cable TV magazine that might interest me- usually a picture that hasn’t been shown at the cinema or which I have missed. I haven’t got much time during the week to sit down in front of the television, so I leave the taped programmes to see at the weekend.

11) Who is your favorite actor/actress alive or dead and why?

Kevin Spacey. He’s amazingly talented and versatile, and the fact that he’s stylish and good-looking in the bargain doesn’t hurt at all. He acts, directs, sings and does everything well; and he’s one of the few American actors whose delivery is music to my ears.

12) What is the one movie/television show that you would never admit to family, friends, co-workers that you watch? Yes, I know asking defeats the point, but spill your guts anyway.

If watching the Justice League, Spiderman or X-men cartoons from time to time is something to feel guilty about when one’s to turn thirty-eight, then there’s your answer.

13) Do people in your Real Life know that you are a member of NS?

Yes, my family, friends and co-workers know it. It isn’t something I feel ashamed of, so why hide it?

14) Do people in your Real Life know that you read/write fanfiction?

The same as above.

15) When did you first start reading fanfiction?

I started reading fanfiction some five years ago when I got my own computer at home. I used to go to a cyber café to answer my e-mails and look for information, and one day I stumbled on a fanfiction repository devoted to Smallville and I decided to give it a try.

In those days I didn’t have Internet at home, so I’d save the fics on a diskette to read on my computer at the weekend. What really surprised me was how good some writers were- I also read some worthless stuff- and reading Lex stories became somewhat of an addiction, particularly during the long summer holidays.

16) When did you first get started writing fanfiction?

I began writing my own stories almost three years ago. After having read fanfiction for two years, I told myself it was high time I gave it a try. I’ve always been fond of telling stories- I remember having my mum put them on paper when I was too young to write on my own.

2006 was the breaking point for me; I realized I had spent too much time correcting other people’s essays and papers- an English teacher’s karma- and I asked myself: why not put pen to paper and do it for fun?

17) Is fanfic just a hobby for you or do you hope to go further with your writing?

I consider writing the perfect means of escapism. Still, I won’t deny I’d love to go further with it. At present I’m too much into Lex and Chloe to write anything with original characters. I suppose, knowing Lex and Chloe’s personal stories, where they come from and who they are helps when it comes to creating a fic around them. Starting a fic from scratch with characters that you infuse life to and whose backgrounds you invent can be liberating, but I haven’t reached the point of feeling comfortable with that concept yet.

18) When you aren’t writing awesome fanfics, what do you do and/or want to be doing?

I’m teaching English to university students who are studying to get a Doctorate or a Master’s Degree. I also tutor people who are training to become teachers of English; I specialize in grammar, phonology and academic writing. For the last three years I’ve also been tutoring secondary school students who are interested in taking the advanced exams offered by the University of Cambridge for people whose native tongue isn’t English. In addition, I translate and/or edit research papers written by scientists for international scientific magazines or journals.

In my free time- which isn’t much, by the way- I administrate my own Lex/Michael site and boards, and I co-administrate Michael Rosenbaum Italia with hamlat (Rosenbaum Media’s webmaster), the only Italian forums devoted to MR now turned international.

19) How and why did you first get interested in Chlex? What do you like most about the characters? What do you hate about them?

I’ve always been an avid fan of Smallville´s Lex and everything connected with him, and Chloe’s been a wonderful addition to Superman’s universe- undoubtedly one of the things Al Gough & Miles Millar can feel proud of.

The first SV stories I read were… (don’t throw shoes at me, please!) Lexana fics- and, believe it or not, there are a few LLers around who write some pretty decent Lexana fics where the Pink Princess is more than just tolerable. However, none of them have ever touched me as the Chlex fics that introduced me to this ship… Catheryne´s “A Dream of Angels” and “An Affair to Forget”. It was Catheryne´s writing which won me over.

I admire Lex’s strength to survive the bravest of storms. I love his humanity- he’s the one character we can identify with for he’s the perfect example of duality in Man. His frailty appeals to my maternal instincts, what woman wouldn’t love to hold him and make him feel loved?

Now, Chloe is a lot like me in many ways: her inquisitive nature, her curiosity, her passion for what she does.

I don’t hate anything about them, just what the screenwriters have sometimes done to them. I particularly disliked the lines they fed Allison in the last episodes of Season Seven when referring to Lex. Having her ask Clark to murder him in cold blood? What was that about? It was a very UnChloe thing to say, no matter her animosity towards the billionaire.

20) How and why did you first get interested in writing Chlex fanfiction?

Reading Catheryne´s fics got me started. I had penned a couple of Lexana stories but they were too much of an effort because I had to re-invent the cheerleader in order to make her worthy of Lex. Let’s face it, SV´s Lana isn’t that much interesting to write a mature story with someone as multi-layered and smart as the billionaire.

Chlex fiction was so much easier; I found Chloe’s voice almost immediately and writing their verbal judo was simply invigorating. They’re the perfect match on the intellectual level and I can’t imagine a more suited couple when it comes to passion.

21) Is there anything while reading Chlex fanfiction that you really like/hate?

I hate unfinished stories. I loath when a writer lets a fic end up in the graveyard; that’s why I never start posting a story unless it’s already finished on paper- I just can’t stand leaving things hanging.

22) What (if any) other fandoms do you read/write for and why?

I’ve never written for any other fandom and there’s no other character I feel more comfortable writing than Lex. I’ve written some ¨mild¨ SV-Batman crossovers. I’ve used the adjective ´mild´ because I tend not to balance both fandoms, the scales always tip in favour of SV- or I should say in Lex’s favour. I’ve toyed with the idea of penning some JAG fics- I saw all ten seasons when they aired and fell in love with the characters- but there’s the problem of jargon and all that legal stuff. With SV things are a hell of a lot simpler, and the degree of freedom to play with reality’s almost boundless.

23) What type of environment do you need to write? For example: extreme quiet, blaring music, subtle background noise, etc.

I’ve been known to write in the oddest of places- from a bench in the park to the waiting room at my dentist’s. I don’t need to be anywhere in particular to be able to write. I’ve always been a multi-tasking kind of person and can work even with background noise- that doesn’t mean, though, that there has to be noise around me to get me started. I’ve got the ability to create my own bubble at will even when I’m not alone, to the point that sometimes I don’t know what’s going on around me.

The best time for me to sit down with paper and pen are the summer holidays– I’m old-fashioned; I only use the word-processor once the story’s finished on paper. As a teacher/tutor I get a forty-day summer holiday every year, and I take as much advantage of it as I can so as to have enough material to post throughout the year. Once the holidays are over, I simply go over the drafts correcting any grammar mistakes or making some minor changes.

24) How do your ideas come to you? Do you always write them or do you let them disappear?

There isn’t a fixed pattern. The germ of a story may appear while reading something, while looking at a photo of a particular scene of the show or while watching a re-run. Most often than not ideas seem to come out of the blue; it’s as if someone were whispering them in my ear.

I always start writing when an idea comes to me. I don’t keep a notebook with notes, though, I begin the story right away.

25) Do you plan a story from the beginning to end or start with an idea and let the chapters come to you as they do?

I only planned a fic once, and I have to say it was the least satisfying of my works. Considering most of my stories have an element of mystery in them- either a crime or a secret- I prefer not to know what’ll happen ahead. It’s the best approach to surprise readers when the enigma is solved- hey, I like surprising myself too!

26) Do you ever input certain aspects about yourself into the lives of Chloe and Lex? For example: Do you have Chloe listen to your favorite song or have Lex watch your favorite movie?

I try to remain faithful to the characters, so I never include references to books, music or films I like unless I believe they would suit their taste.

27) Do you associate your writing with any songs even if it isn’t a songfic?

A song or an instrumental piece can trigger one’s muse just as an image, but so far I haven’t used music as an inspiration for fanfiction. Still, there are times when I listen to music and feel it´d suit either character. Given the kind of music I listen to I’d say Lex is the one that comes more often to mind- Lex-obsessed, aren’t I?

28) Do you prefer writing easy, quick stories or long, layered stories?

Long stories come easier to me than one-shots- the only one-parter I’ve written thus far is The Christmas Gift. Writing well rounded one-shots is a true gift that only a few privileged ones have got- take Peggy/PMD, for instance; she’s great at this art.

29) Which do you find easier to write: dialogue or description or are the equally hard/easy?

Well, my first fics looked more like scripts because of the amount of dialogue in them. However, as time went by and the stories got more mature, I veered more to narrative. Still, given the nature of both central characters, using dialogue is hard to resist. Both Lex and Chloe are at their best when fencing with words, and I love writing their verbal judo just as much as I enjoy working on Lex’s tête-à-têtes with Lionel. Internal monologues are also frequent in my stories, and I usually employ them with Chloe for her internal debates. I imagine, given her principles, that there has to be a permanent internal struggle when pairing her with someone as complex and dual as Lex.

The more I distanced myself from action-driven fics, the more prose I started to use. At present my fics tend to focus on character exploration- the plot being an excuse- so I’m using more narrative. I need prose not so much to push the story forward as to put Lex’s inner world in words. As much as I love having Lex use words to give advice, hurt, manipulate or extricate himself from any situation; it’s his inner self which fascinates me, and I believe there’s no better way to let the reader into that amazing world than through prose.

I can’t say I find one or the other more difficult to write. I suppose my resorting to dialogue or prose depends on the mood I am in when writing or on the story I’m telling; in other words, it’s up to my muse.

30) Is there anything that you won’t write or feel uncomfortable writing?

Smut is something I don’t feel comfortable with and it’s something I’m pretty sure I’ll never write. Whenever I include a bedroom scene- I like to call them love scenes- I don’t go for graphic imagery or language. It’s my belief that whenever intimacy is included in a story, it should be integrated into the plot; I really don’t enjoy writing or reading gratuitous sex.

I’m not much of a smut reader, as you must have guessed. Zannie´s fics are the only exception to the rule; she’s one of the few fanfic writers I’ve met whose work manages to engage my attention from beginning to end. Her plots and character studies are admirable, and her smut is always an instrument and not a goal in itself; it always helps us get into Chloe and Lex’s minds and understand how they’re feeling and at what point their relationship is. She uses smut as other writers use dialogue, and I respect her for that; although, as I said before, it isn’t something I’d try doing myself.

31) What do you do to cure writer’s block? What advice can you give to new writers who might be scared to post their stories?

I try to take a break and not force things because the harder you try the worse it gets. Some of my best fics were finished after a long writer’s block; it always helps to distance oneself and pick up an incomplete manuscript with fresh eyes. Sometimes I put down a fic and start another or stop writing altogether for a few weeks; maybe watch some old episodes or keep reading other people’s fics to stir back the mood.

If you’ve never posted a fic before and writing is something new to you, my advice is to write, write and write. Practice is the only thing that helps you grow as a writer, and the more you do the more critical of your own work you become. Posting is a necessary part of the creative cycle and one we should never skip. We start writing to satisfy a personal need- the beginning is definitely selfish- but the reader is an indispensable part of the artistic act. Now, if you’re one who doesn’t take constructive criticism well, you’re in for trouble because once you make your work public you expose yourself. Still, there’s good news… this community’s filled with nice people and I’ve noticed they always try to encourage budding writers, so don’t be afraid. If your mother tongue’s not English, and you’re worried about your grammar, you can ask for help- there are several members who have offered their beta services.

32) Have you ever read someone else’s fanfic and wished you thought of the idea first?

It happened to me a couple of times to find someone had started posting a story with a premise which I had toyed with for a while- take superag´s Chloe-Wild and Shy, for instance.

33) Have you ever wanted someone else to write your story idea?

Not really. The ideas I’ve had so far are ideas I feel comfortable with and confident enough to write.

34) Are reviews vital to keep you writing or will you finish a story even if you aren’t certain people are reading?

Reviews aren’t vital for me to finish a story since, as I said before, my fics are finished by the time I start posting them. Nevertheless, reviews are fantastic encouragement for me to keep writing other stories.

35) Have you ever had a review that made you think something about your story that you never thought of before? Has a review ever made you want to make a major change to your story?

The only time I rewrote the final chapter of a fic to improve the pacing- after I got a couple of reviews with some constructive criticism- was my first Chlex fic, Second Chances. This happened before I joined NS and in no way did it compromise my vision for the ending remained the same. Since then I’ve never felt the urge to edit any story- perhaps because I go over them several times before they see the light here.

36) How badly do you want to write for Smallville or at least rewrite some of the seasons?

Now that MR is no longer on the show I really don’t care much about what they do- I’d hate to see Chloe’s character destroyed, nonetheless. Rewrite a season? Yes, pretty much everything that happened after season three. I’d maybe use some of the stuff that has happened but change the people involved or, at least, I’d put a twist to the plotlines to make it a Chlexy SV.

37) Do you see Chloe and Lex or other Smallville characters in different television shows or movies? Meaning, do you watch a movie like Star Wars and start thinking that Lex is just like Han Solo?

I’ve used a couple of events in a Harrison Ford film as the trigger to write a Chlex fic and I can imagine Lex and Chloe as Darcy and Elizabeth in Pride and Prejudice. One never knows where ideas can come from.

38) What do you think AM and MR would say about your fics if they read them? How would you feel if someone from the show did read your writings?

Michael would be happy to see that for once Lex gets a happy ending in spite of all the angst and suffering he has to undergo before the epilogue. Now, Allison… I really don’t know… maybe that she believes Chloe’s only got eyes for Clark… (Not in my world, girl!).

As regards having someone from the show read my fics, we all know this is common practice and on more than one occasion I’ve seen ideas brought up in fics which ended up on the show. We’re all aware there’s nothing we can do about it; we’re working with copyrighted characters here, but hell it´d be nice to get some credit, don’t you think?

39) If you could have any super power, what would it be and why? Would you use it for good or evil?

Superspeed. The hours of the day aren’t enough to do all the things I’ve got to do. It´d be nice to have the power to put behind all the unsavoury chores in a millisecond and enjoy the rest of the day doing whatever you feel like doing without having to worry.

Evil? Nah. I’m a good girl.

Forum thread: [Interview] March 2009 Interview: Lexie